Corruption, Murder and Redemption?
by Man of cartoons
Summary: Corruption is said to be a monster that eats the soul of a man. So what if a hero with a pure heart decides to come to a world where the monster has almost taken over? Will he survive? Will he break? And will he get this dumb blond to stop calling him a cattle? Please read to find out. BenXAriaXLeone (Love Triangle)
1. Laughter, the Capital and Night Raid?

Hello everyone! I'm Man of Cartoons and this is a fanfiction that just won't get out of my mind (not that I'm complaining…much).

Now you may be wondering that this is just another crossover of Ben 10 and Akame Ga Kill and so it won't be much different than the others ones. Well guess what? You're be wrong. If you've read the summary (which you all have I'm sure) then you get the idea that this story will be focused on Ben and a certain psychotic girl in the first episode. I got the idea from a crossover of One Punch Man and Akame Ga Kill, and while it didn't follow that direction I thought of it made me wonder how great it would be if Ben took the role in an extended way.

So without further delay, here's the first chapter of **"Corruption, murder and…redemption?"**

Oh and just for the heck of it here's the disclaimer I'm likely going to forget in the future.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Ben 10 Franchise and Akame Ga Kill. Why I actually have to do this like I could be arrested is beyoooond me.**

Chapter 1: Laughter, the Capital and...Night Raid?

The beauty that is nature could be seen anyway as it gave a sense of peace. The sun was somewhat bright, while much didn't seemed to go on for travelers who wished to pass through a highways leading to various places both far and near. Unfortunately, this sense of peace didn't last well for two merchants and their cart.

"Earth…Earth Dragon!" shouted one of the men in panic.

For a while, both he and his companion had been traveling through a path as it was part of their journey. But when a giant monster shot out of the ground above them, they knew they were in big trouble.

"I didn't know they came out in highways like these." shouted the other merchant.

However, it didn't matter to the monster. It caused their cart to fall to the side and made the men to run for their lives while chasing them from behind.

Meanwhile, a boy with brown hair, wearing a white jacket over a sweater vest, a pair of black pants and combat boots and a sword saw the incident and smirked. He didn't mean to express this way for the men's trouble, but for the fact that it was his chance to save more people and show off. As such, he pulled out his sword and made a dash for the monster.

"Saving people and getting myself known." He stated determinedly. "Seems like I'll be able to do both."

Unfortunately, his opportunity didn't last for long. He just was about to intercept the creature's path, when suddenly a bunch of large diamond shards shot out of the ground underneath the monster, striking into it and out , killing it instantly.

"Aw come on!" The boy shouted angrily. He could see the now dead, Earth dragon, oozing out blood just to show how dead it was. But from the looks of it, he knew who was responsible as he turned to his right. "Seriously, Ben, why do you have to do that?!" He shouted.

The one he spoke about chuckled a bit and made strange footsteps as he emerged from his hiding spot. "What can I say, Tatsumi? The early bird gets the worm…" He replied with a grin. "or in this chase…" and revealed a part of him to be crystal covered. "a weird scorpion thing."

"Not it's not!" Tatsumi objected.

Ben just chuckled in response as he got closer to him. He knew he should be sorry for stealing Tatsumi's glory, but for some reason he found that he couldn't. That reason was Tatsumi's funny fuming face. As for him, his appearance became more revealed now that he didn't stand in the shades of the trees or anything. Hence, when the merchants that were saved saw him they were very much shocked.

The person called Ben wasn't human, but really a creature never before seen. His body was composed of durable pale green crystals as he sports four shards on his back and a sharp head. Along with this, he wore a uniform consisted of a top that was a green stripe at the middle and black at both sides, as well as black pants and a belt which had a strange black and green hexagon symbol on its chest.

"Whatever, dude." Ben said to Tatsumi. He understood why the teen would feel that way, but couldn't be bothered anymore. Hence, he turned his attention at the merchants and asked. "Hey, you guys okay?"

"U-uh yeah." answered one of them.

"Yeah, please don't hurt us." added the other.

"Hurt you?" Ben asked, confused.

"They're talking about what you are right now, Ben." Tatsumi stated.

"Uh, I knew that." Ben muttered sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Right." Tatsumi replied sarcastically.

The situation at the moment was a bit weird, so it was understandable. Ben used his hand to touch the hexagon symbol on his chest, which resulted in a flash of green light to engulf him, before revealing his true form to be a sixteen year old teen wearing a black shirt which has a green stripe in the middle with a white colored number 10 and green stripes on the sides of his shirt, brown cargo pants and green and white shoes, while wearing a strange watch on his left wrist.

"See. No harm done." Ben stated to the men.

The merchants were dumbfounded.

So after getting the merchants out of their trance, the teens were able to hitch a ride with them. But prior to that, when Tatsumi had expressed his desire to go to the Capital, both merchants were quick to warn them about the Capital. They expressed how the capital was filled with humans with hearts of monsters, and in a way tried to deter Tatsumi from going. But sadly for them the teen was determined to go there in order to save his village, the same for Ben but for a different reason he never mentioned.

So with nothing else to say, the merchants took the brave (or somewhat stupid, to them) boys to the Capital's entrance before going off to their own direction.

"Wooow! So this is the Capital!" Tatsumi shouted in awe.

"Eh, I've seen better." Ben stated.

Tatsumi shot an annoyed glare at him. "I never said that to you."

"Huh?" Ben was taken aback. He had been facing the Capital's entrance when the teen spoke, before turning to him and seeing walking away. "Come on, dude. Is this about that Danger Beast thing?"

"No, it's not!" Tatsumi shouted back while continuing working.

"Liar." Ben muttered and sighed. He paused for a moment to rub his forehead before looking up to the skies with a plain face. "Well here I am, Paradox. Let's see what this place got ready for him." He muttered.

Sometime passed since Ben was able to catch up to Tatsumi before the teen was able to forgive him. Truth be told, he didn't hold a grudge against Ben partly because they've arrived at the Capital where he aimed to become a soldier. As for the other reason, he just didn't seem to feel that way anymore. So as they walk around, both teens looked around to see people attending to daily lives like normal citizens should.

"Wow. The Capital looks so normal." Tatsumi stated in a bit of awe.

'Yeah, I actually agree." Ben agreed and continued to look around. He could see the people dressed in normal wear for their livelihood and in addition bringing a peaceful feeling in the air, which he felt was off. _'But if this place is as bad as those merchants and Paradox said to be then why is it this way?'_ He thought to himself.

However, he didn't go too much into thought on it. He could've, but for no reason he chose not to as he listened to Tatsumi speak again.

"If I get successful here, I could even buy the whole village."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Ben murmured in response. He had a feeling it won't be as easy as the other teen believed.

But there was no stopping the duo now. They passed through many other places, unaware of a blond woman sipping a tea and noticing their presence from a table, before arriving at the barracks for Tatsumi. However, before they got through the door, Ben came to a stop and pointed his finger over his shoulder.

"You go ahead. We'll meet over there." He said.

"What? Why?" Tatsumi asked.

"I got to check out this place for a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not." Tatsumi answered and shook his head. "Just get here before nightfall. I'll be a high ranking officer by the time you get here."

"Uh, sure you will." Ben replied. He gave him a thumbs up in his presence before then walking away to a different direction. "I sure hope he gets something at least." He murmured. "He's a nice kid, but he seems a bit too oblivious even when I met him and those friends of his. That reminds me…where could they be?"

The teen wondered about it in indeed. It wasn't like he was that close to them like Tatsumi was or anything close to them. He was just very concerned. After all, what those merchants told him and the other teen before arriving at the Capital made him worry a bit for the two. And while they were skillful, he didn't want anything bad to happen to them.

' _Yeah, they have to be fine. I'm sure of it.'_ Ben thought and continued walking. _' As for this place…it seems normal by the looks of it. Maybe those merchants and Paradox were over exaggerating…"_

However, for some reason, the teen found that latter thought hard to believe. He didn't know the merchants very well, but to believe that his friend, Paradox, was over exaggerating was something he found very hard to believe. Maybe some of the bad things he heard weren't happening today. That had to be it.

Hence, as time went on, Ben continued to look around the place more. He tried not to go far out of fear of getting lost especially when he said he would get back at an appropriate time. So when the sun began to set, he turned back when he was sure everything was normal before making his way to the place he mentioned to rendezvous.

But there was a problem; Tatsumi wasn't there.

"Damn that, guy!" Ben shouted. "He better not have been stood me up or something!"

Prior to leaving, the place the teen had pointed was simple. It was a food cart which was some meters away from the barracks. It was just some walks away as it stood out from other places in the area due to its fruits and the old man standing there. But now that it was closed and Tatsumi was nowhere to be seen, the brown haired boy resulted to walking and calling the other teen's name. Eventually, he did find him by a pillar, resting his back at it with his head down.

"There you are!" Ben shouted.

Tatsumi didn't respond back. He still had his head down until Ben marched over to him and knocked on his head.

"Ow! What the heck?!" He yelped. "I heard you, okay?!"

"Then why didn't you look at me?!" Ben shouted back.

"Beca –" Tatsumi stopped and looked away silently, slightly embarrassed to continue.

However, Ben didn't seem to take it likely. He could see by the sudden pause and awkward look on the other teen's face that there was something he wasn't telling him. As a result, it made him sigh and sit down next to him with an apologetic look.

"Sorry about that." Ben apologized calmly. "I was just a bit worried you left me off. You know I'm alone here."

"Yeah, I know." Tatsumi murmured and bow his head. "I didn't get accepted."

"Yeah, I kind of expected that." Ben stated freely.

' _He says it so calmly.'_ Tatsumi thought and glared at the teen. It was one thing that his luck went bad and another to have the only friend around reveal that he didn't have faith in him.

"But that's beside the point." Ben continued. He failed to notice the glare the other teen was giving as something like that wasn't in his view. But when a growl from his stomach was heard, he stood up and stretched a bit before facing Tatsumi. "Okay, I'm getting hungry." He said. "Let's get something to eat and a place to sleep. Maybe you'll get better luck tomorrow."

"…I can't." Tatsumi muttered. He felt embarrassed for what he knew Ben would eventually find out and so bow his head on his wrists to cover his face.

As for the other teen, he didn't seem to get on what that was about.

"Come on, Tatsumi. Just because you got shot down once doesn't mean you should be depressed." He stated encouragingly.

"I know." Tatsumi muttered. "But sleeping here isn't so bad."

"Yes, it is." Ben objected. "It's getting cold out here and…wait…Tatsumi…where's the money?"

It was at this moment that Tatsumi was sure he fucked up.

 **Ten minutes later**

"Dude?! You actually fell for that?!" Ben yelled angrily.

It had only been a few seconds since Tatsumi explained everything to Ben from the moment he had left him. Apparently, while the teen hero was away, Tatsumi had not only been kicked out of the barracks but he met a 'woman with big boobs' who promised to get him into the army, only to then find out ten hours later that he had been conned. And now they were stuck in a tough predicament.

However, before Ben could continue yelling at the other teen, they heard horses neigh as what they were pulling came to a stop.

"Does those two not have a place to say?" asked a young female voice. "How unfortunate."

"Again, my lady?" asked a bodyguard.

At this point, both teens were confused with what was going on. They could see where the source of the voice was coming from, as the one who spoke the most turned out to be a young girl that appeared to be either fifteen or sixteen. She had short chest length blond hair with a fluffy blue hair accessory, wore a long white sleeve shirt with a blue bow tied at the collar under a blue dress with a black midsection, and wore white boots. She also had big blue eyes.

"Uh…who's the cute girl?' Ben whispered.

"How the heck would I know?!" Tatsumi whispered back at him harshly.

However, the time they had wasn't for bickering amongst each other. They had heard the girl say some things before watching her stop before them with a kind look on her face.

"Did you two come from the country?" She asked.

"Huh…yeah." Tatsumi answered.

"Well if you don't have a place to stay. Do you two want to come to my house?"

Tatsumi paused as he gave her a distrusted look. "I don't have any money - OW!"

"We would love to." Ben stated with a wide smile. He made sure to not face the other teen who he had kicked just to keep from talking further.

"Then it's settled." The girl stated and beamed a smile.

There was no denying it from the girl's look that she was happy to hear Ben's response. Sure, it had come without any consideration from Tatsumi, who was rubbing his butt and glaring at Ben, but nonetheless it was all good. Hence, while they followed her, Ben turned to Tatsumi and whispered.

"Sorry I did that, Tatsumi." He apologized. "I had to speed things up so we could get out of the cold."

"Fine." Tatsumi replied. "But I hope this isn't because you think she's cute."

"Uh…of course it wasn't."

"Liar."

"Is anything the matter?" The girl suddenly asked.

That's when reality got back to the two boys. They realized that they had stopped a few feet to the carriage, before then shaking their head simultaneously and saying. "Nothing at all."

The girl was fine to hear this. She watched as both boys were over whatever they were talking about, with Tatsumi sitting first while Ben had his hand open at the girl.

"I noticed we didn't introduce each other. I'm Ben Tennyson." Ben said politely.

The teen's action there came a bit surprising as it made the girl pause for a bit. It wasn't known why she did this though, as she just looked at his hand and then his face before accepting it and shaking it.

"Aria." She said.

"Nice name." Ben complimented.

"Thank you." She said back.

And so, with nothing else to say, Ben went into the carriage and sat next to Tatsumi.

"So smooth, Ben." Tatsumi whispered and snickered.

"Oh shut up." Ben whispered back.

"WHOOAA!"

After making it safely to Arai's home, Tatsumi was awestruck. The outside of the mansion was huge, while was so clean and expensive looking even as he, Ben, Aria and the bodyguards walked in.

"This place is amazing, Ben." Tatsumi stated with a wide smile on his face.

"You said it, dude." Ben agreed. He wasn't so awestruck like his friend, but was able to show his admiration of the place by his face and words. "I've seen a lot of awestruck places, but this mansion isn't so bad."

Unknown to Ben though, this comment earned a bit of a scowl from Aria. It wasn't because Ben was seemingly ungrateful, but for a reason that connected to something else unknown to him and Tatsumi. But rather than bringing that up, she smiled brightly and took Ben by his right arm's wrist before taking him to a room at the right.

"Come. I would like you both to meet my parents." She said.

So with that, she dragged Ben with some force to the room. It was a bit of a funny moment for Tatsumi, as not only was Ben caught off guard but Tatsumi decided to tease him by giving him a thumbs up which then led to Ben shooting a scowl at him and the boy laughing about it.

But none of their tomfooling mattered for what happened next. Ben was still dragged by Arai while Tatsumi followed with the guards behind him until they came to a stop when they entered a room. It was big in the eyes of Tatsumi, as it had some expensive looking furniture and a fire place, where not too far was where a man and woman sat by.

The father wore a pricey suit while possessing a calm and respected face. He also seemed overweight as he wore a brown pricey suit with a red tie while his woman by his left side was a blond with pink silky dress. So when they saw their daughter coming in with two boys, they faced them with gleaming smiles

"Ahh, Aria brought someone in again." The father said. "Once again, they're two."

"What a habit." The mother said. "I wonder how many times it has been."

' _Huh, so we're not the first then.'_ Ben thought a bit skeptic. _'But now that I think about it, didn't the girl say before she couldn't help it while I was arguing with Tatsumi?_ _'Huh, I wonder what Tatsumi thinks of this.'_

However, the teen didn't need to know what it was upon seeing the delightful and daydreaming expression on Tatsumi's face. It was nice and all, but Ben decided to cut him off from it since they were in the presence of the kind daughter who brought them in and their parents. Hence, he nudged Tatsumi lightly before walking forward with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you so much for having us here. We really appreciate it." Ben said with a honest voice.

"Yes! Thank you!" Tatsumi added and did a bow at Aria.

Unlike the other brown haired teen, Tatsumi was more grateful for their staying. It was why he acted out that way before Aria while Ben watched, wondering if the teen was overdoing. Fortunately, Aria didn't seem to take it in any wrong way.

"It's okay. It's okay." The girl assured him happily. "Make your stay at home."

"Yes!" Tatsumi nodded.

Just then, Aria's mother interjected as she mainly faced Aria and the teens. "If we help people out, the happiness will eventually come to us, right?"

"Mum!" Aria shouted. "That's not the reason I'm doing this."

"Joking. Joking." The mother giggled.

' _Huh the mum's not so bad too.'_ Ben thought. He crossed his arms as he looked at both Aria and the mother before extending his smile a bit more when another thought came to mind. _'I can see where she gets her kindness from.'_

But then, now that he looked over to Tatsumi, he noticed the boy was yet to stand up straight. The reason for this was at first unknown until he interjected calmly as he was facing the family entirely.

"Excuse me, there's also something I'd like to ask." He stated with sincerity..

Now this got everyone's attention.

So after getting a seat with Ben by his side, Tatsumi explained what he meant. Aria sat lonely on the left couch while the father was sitting directly in front of Tatsumi and Ben like before with the wife sitting lonely at the couch by the right. They heard what Tatsumi had to say while Ben listened in on it before the father spoke up.

"I see." He first said. "You want to become successful in the army to save your village."

"Yes." Tatsumi answered.

"What a wonderful dream…" The father added. "But you know, it may be peaceful inside the Imperial Capital…but this country is surrounded on three sides by different races. You could be brought over the borders to fight against them."

"I'm prepared for that." Tatsumi assured honestly.

"I see, that's a commendable spirit." The father remarked. "That's how the young should be."

"Did you come here alone with Ben then, Tatsumi?" Aria asked.

"No, he didn't." Ben interjected. "We came with two other people actually."

 **FLASHBACK**

Somewhere in the snowy mountains, the village Tatsumi was born and raised in was located there. It had endured a lot of hardship, mostly financially, as taxes were being increased on the villagers despite being unable to afford it. Hence, when the day came for four certain ambitious teens were ready to depart in order to raise the money required to save the village, Tatsumi, Ben and his friends were all set to go.

"All right. We'll be on our way, chief." Tatsumi stated with a wave of his hand.

"Yes…" The chief nodded. He was currently standing before them with his arms behind his back as he continued. "You've been improving each other since you were young. Seize the chance to be successful with those skills."

' _Wait, aren't they still young?'_ Ben thought.

The teen hero was presently standing at Tatsumi's back left with a girl next to him. She was someone he had gotten to know along with Tatsumi and the other boy who was presently at Tatsumi's back right during the past week he had been in their village. She had long black hair, black eyes and wore a white flower hair accessory while wearing plain cream-colored robes.

"Leave it to us." The girl said with an assuring smile. "We'll make the village wealthy, especially with Ben at our sides. Isn't that, right Ben? Those crazy monsters of yours will help us from starving to death."

"Sure, I guess." Ben said, a bit nervous.

Just then, the other boy spoke. He had short, somewhat unruly, dark-brown hair and brown eyes with a white martial arts headband while wearing a robe of his own. He also had a smug look on his face as he pointed at himself proudly with nothing holding him back. "Well it'll take about ten years for this Ieyasu-sama right here to get well-known." He said.

"Ieyasu'll probably break the rules and get the guillotine." The girl interjected.

"Sayo, why you!?" Ieyasu shouted angrily at the girl.

"I kind of agree with her." Ben said and smug about it.

"You too, Ben?!" The teen yelled. "Stop saying stuff might actually happen!"

Ben just laughed in response. He had a thing for teasing the other teen just to see how he would react angrily. It was hilarious to him. Hence, before Sayo could speak, he spoke again. "What? It would likely happen." He held back a snicker. "First, you oversleep like so often and have a bad sense of direction. Heck, if you went alone I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get eaten or something."

"Hey!" The teen yelled offended.

Sayo just covered her lips with her hands as she giggled.

This scene before the chief wasn't anything new. He had known Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo ever since there were little and Ben for the duration of the time the teen stayed in the village. So as he saw both boys somewhat arguing (though one sided from the looks of it), he just smiled a bit and said. "You seem to have plenty of energy, at least…"

But then came on another thing that came to the chief's mind. It made him pull out something before displaying it to Tatsumi, who he then spoke to. "Well then, Tatsumi…it's my last parting gift." He said. "Take this with you. When the time comes…"

"Sell it, right?" Tatsumi asked.

"NO!" The chief yelled.

Ben face palmed in response. "Maybe Sayo and I should hold the money or something precious." He said. _'Why do I get the feeling Tatsumi may screw us.'_ He thought.

"No, this is for him." The chief refused. He understood why Ben would feel Tatsumi wasn't up to the task, but at the same time knew this was right. As such, he turned Tatsumi, who had shot a scowling glare at Ben, before saying. "Keep this with you at all times. God will surely save you."

"Yeah." Tatsumi replied. He took the item in his hand and said. "Thanks, Chief."

 **FLASHBACK END**

"So well…" Tatsumi continued. "We left in high spirits kind of like that. After that, we were attacked by night bandits and got separated."

"Oh dear." Aria's mother gasped.

"Yeah, that partly was my fault." Ben said and frowned. He turned his eyes away from looking at the family as the thought of the past came to mind. "I decided to head back a lake to check out something I thought I saw. By the time I got back, I was only able to catch up with Tatsumi."

"I told you that it's fine, Ben." Tatsumi said assuredly to his friend. "Those guys are strong so we shouldn't really worry."

"Yeah…I guess." Ben sighed. He felt a bit at ease of what Tatsumi said, and so turned to him. "But doesn't Ieyasu have a really bad sense of direction. I don't think he'll be able to make it to the Capital like we were supposed to meet."

"I see." Aria's father suddenly spoke. He had heard what the teenage boys had to say with all his mind before feeling the need to help them out. "I'll recommend you both to an acquaintance by the military and investigate those two as well."

"Thank you so much!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Yeah, thanks." Ben added. "But I'm not one for the army. The chief just thought I was the best to watch over them."

"Then it's settled." Aria stated. She had too heard everything and so decided to speak. "My intuition's good, you know. I think you'll see both of them before long."

"Aria-san…" Tatsumi blushed.

Things so far seemed to be working well for Ben and Tatsumi. Aria and her family were very supportive to them that it felt just too good for Ben to believe the world he was in is meant to be filled with corruption. So as a thank you to the family, both teens offered their services in return, which was accepted by Aria who wanted them to be part of her bodyguards.

So later that night, both Ben and Tatsumi got a room with two beds. It wasn't much for Ben's standards, but it was a very comfortable and good looking place to sleep in. Hence, after eating a snack, he entered the room again and found already in bed.

"About to sleep huh?" Ben asked.

"Not yet." Tatsumi answered. Unknown to Ben though, he had been thinking about the day and how he and the teen had gotten lucky to be found by a caring family. But it also didn't help that he was still worried about his two friends.

"Do you still blame yourself?" Tatsumi asked all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Ben responded. He got inside the room and closed the door behind him before sitting at the edge of the bed, facing Tatsumi.

"Ieyasu and Sayo." Tatsumi mentioned. "Do you still blame yourself for us getting separated?"

Ben sighed in response. It wasn't a hard one or one that held much weight that had to be released. But it was a thoughtful one that led him to lay his back on the bed. "Not so much." He answered. "Like you said, they're strong…Besides, Sayo is with him so they should be fine. If Aria's father can't find them then I'll use Wildmutt or some other ali - monster to find them,"

"Oh yeah." Tatsumi said and smiled. "Thank you for being here, Ben. If you weren't…I would be alone."

Ben smiled in response. He liked what he heard from Tatsumi as it made him feel good for just being around for him. So once he heard it, he sat back up and nodded. "Sure thing, dude." He said. "We sure are lucky to be found by Aria."

"I know right." Tatsumi agreed. "I know what I did was dumb…thank God we didn't get to face the cold outside."

"Yeah, I guess. But I probably would've made a campfire outside the woods to keep us up till morning."

"So you don't appreciate Aria?" Tatsumi asked. It occurred to him immediately that Ben may have a thing for the blond girl. Hence, he smirked teasingly. "even though you liiiike her."

Ben paused for a moment when he heard this. He didn't say why he did this nor did he seem too convincing that it was because of what Tatsumi was thinking. So it came as a bit of a surprise when he silently got underneath the blankets before speaking.

"I'm not really into her." He said calmly. "Aria is great, but I just got out of a relationship some weeks ago, so I'm not looking forward to any of that complication."

"Oh…" Tatsumi paused. "I didn't know.

"I can't blame you." Ben said with assurance. "Now let's go to sleep. Aria did say she was going shopping tomorrow morning."

"Oh yeah, I remember." Tatsumi nodded.

And so with that, both brown haired teens went off to sleep without anything else to say.

A new day started as the Capital was once again lively. People could be seen walking about as they attended to their various activities in their respective ways. The same could be said for Aria, Tatsumi, Ben and some bodyguards as they assisted the girl in her shopping. But that wasn't to say that it was easy for those bodyguards.

"We're going to that shop next!" Aria shouted with glee.

"My Lady, please wait!" shouted her two bodyguards in unison. They were right behind her, stressing to moving with the large packages they had to carry.

Meanwhile, both Ben and Tatsumi were some feet away with another bodyguard with shocked looks on their faces. The amount of clothes the girl had to buy was outstanding even to their eyes. But not surprising though, this didn't have much of an effect on the bodyguard with them.

"It seems we're staying home this time…" He said quite calmly. He also had his arms crossed as he continued. "Her shopping is amazing, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically. "The amount is just getting silly now. It's just limited to her. All girls are like that."

"Is that so?" Tatsumi asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, they are." Ben confirmed. "I've met some girls and trust me, they shop like a lot. Except my cousin, that is. She's more invested in books."

The bodyguard chuckled in response. "Sounds like your cousin is fun to hang out with." He said. He didn't know much about Ben, much less about Tatsumi as he said that. But now that he was speaking to them, he looked up and said. "Anyway, look up."

"Huh?" Tatsumi said.

Ben just looked where the bodyguard motioned to.

"That's the center of the Capital." The bodyguard stated.

"THE PALACE!" Tatsumi shouted, taken aback. "Humongous! Is that where the Emperor who controls the country…"

"No." The bodyguard interjected.

Now this got Ben really attentive. He didn't care much about the structure of the palace mainly because he has been to different kingdoms and planets before. Sure, it was great looking, but when you've been in a ton of adventures like the ones the teen hero has experienced, some fascinating things tends to lose their flavor to him. So when the bodyguard drew his face closer to the duo, the teen was ready.

"It's a little different…" The man explained. "There's an Emperor, but he's a child right now. The one that controls that Emperor from the shadows is the Minister. The Minister is the ringleader that's rotting this country."

"No way!" Ben expressed in shock.

"Woah there!" The bodyguard warned. He pulled his head away from the teens and looked around before then speaking again but in a low voice. "Don't make any noise, all right? Heads will be rolling if you're heard."

"Oh…sorry." Ben apologized.

Now some things were beginning to make sense for the teenage hero. There was indeed a high level of corruption in this world that needed to be stopped. And though Ben didn't know how he could do it, he felt a good sense that he would have to at some point. But that wasn't to say the feeling was the same with Tatsumi, who tightened his fist in mild frustration.

"Then…" The teen spoke. "The reason my village is suffering from heavy taxes..o"

"It's the Capital's common sense." The bodyguard said. He could see the frustration plainly on Tatsumi's face despite him not facing him and so in a sense felt sorry for him. But then a thought came to him that led him to point a finger over his shoulder. "There are guys like that as well." He said.

"Night Raid." Tatsumi said.

The place which the bodyguard had pointed was a wall occupied with wanted posters. It had pictures of people that were highly wanted, with rewards for them dead or alive on it. Along with this, it had the name of the group they belonged to.

"It's the group of assassin that's rattling the whole Capital." The bodyguard explained. "Just as the name implies, they conduct nocturnal attacks on their targets. They mainly target high ranking or wealthy individuals in the Capital. Prepare yourself, just in case."

"Yes!" Tatsumi firmly replied.

However, Ben wasn't one to speak back about it. He instead had his eyes on the poster, before turning away silently with a thought in mind. _'Night Raid huh? Paradox never mentioned them...But then again he barely gave me enough since I was pumped to save another world…I guess I should blame myself for not listening.'_

"Also…" The bodyguard suddenly said. He got both Ben and Tatsumi's attention before then pointing his finger at certain direction. "…go do something about that for now."

"Huh?"

Both teens looked where the man pointed with a few seconds of confusion. Then, when they did see, they were shocked at what they were seeing. Aria was skipping happily with a song she was humming while her two bodyguards were struggling to follow her while holding a huge package.

"What kind of training is that?!" Tatsumi shouted.

"That girl…" Ben could only murmured.

Just as morning had come and gone, night time took its place. The residents in Aria's parents' mansion were at peace with nothing much going on. Ben and Tatsumi were peacefully sleeping on their beds in what was nice and a bit irritating display with the latter due to Tatsumi's snot being in sync with his breathing. But then, something felt very wrong that made Tatsumi's eyes to snap open.

"What was that?" He sharply questioned and sat up.

Something really didn't feel right to him. It was still late in the night and already he knew something very bad was happening. But when he did recognize it a few seconds, he immediately grabbed on to his sword and got off the bed. "Blood thirst!" He shouted. "Ben, wake up!"

The brown haired teen knew he had to act fast as every second count. He also knew he had to wake up Ben in order to have a better chance with whatever was the source of the blood thirst he felt considering what the other teen can do. But when he tried shaking the teen hero, he simply groaned and turned his back at him.

"Damn it, Ben!" Tatsumi yelled frustrated. "And you criticize Ieyasu for oversleeping. But you know what…I'm going to stop whatever is going on! Yes, that's what I'll do!"

And so, with nothing else to say, the teen ran out and slammed the door behind him hard.

"Huh?" Ben mumbled.

The teen hero was now awake, sort of.

"What was that about…Tatsumi." He mumbled with a sleepy tone.

However, before he could reconsider going back to sleep, a flash of blue light shined in the room. It came really sudden as its light not only was bright but it made Ben to cover his eyes with his wrist and wince.

'Great…morning." He groaned. "Can't a hero get some sleep."

"That depends, Ben Tennyson…" said a familiar voice with a British accent.

"Wait…I know that voice."

"…if it's from an old friend." The person added.

"Paradox." Ben's eyes widened.

The realization then and there didn't hit him too hard than it should though. After all, the last he had heard from the guy was two weeks ago when he arrived in the world he was in. And now that he heard that voice, he immediately sat up and stared forward to see it was indeed Professor Paradox.

"Hello, Ben." The time travelling professor greeted. "My apologies for disturbing your slumber, but I thought now should be the time to drop in now that young Tatsumi isn't present."

"Tatsumi?" Ben questioned, confused. The last he had seen the boy was when he went to sleep, so where was he? He was definitely not in his bed when the teen turned to it. "Wait, where is he?" He asked.

"All in good time, my friend." Paradox assured him. "The last we met, I didn't get to finish explaining about this world."

"Oh…yeah." Ben said and paused. "Have I mentioned I'm sorry?"

"You have…I think." Paradox answered. "Time Travelling can be so confusing."

"Tell me about it." Ben said dryly. Though he doesn't use time traveling so often like the professor, he knew how much a headache it could be. "So are you going to fill me in about this place or not?" He asked.

"Ah yes." Paradox confirmed. "So as you remember from our last encounter, I told you about this world's corruption. But I failed to warn you about how it runs.."

"Yes, you did." Ben said. "You told me the place is ruled by an empire that's so corrupt that it reaches to the lowest level of society. There's no justice and blah blah blah."

"Hmm, I don't recall saying those last words." Paradox said in humor. "But anyway, that is beside the point. I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about the details of this world and how it will affect you, Ben. This place is reeking with murderers, some of which you've already encountered…"

"What?!" Ben shouted in shock. "Since when?"

"Since the time you met with Miss. Aria, of course." The Professor answered. "Now I know there are questions you wish to be answered, but please pay attention this time. The last we need is for you to get killed or something."

"Yeah…I guess you're right."

"Thank you." Paradox said. Then he dropped his smile. "Like I said, this world is reeking with murderers. It also has thieves, manipulators and the worse kind of people that may give even some of the villains you've faced a run for their money. And while you're here, your heroic spirit, your morals, and everything you believed in will be tested."

"Tested?" Ben questioned. "How?"

"I cannot tell you that. That is up for you to discover." Paradox stated.

Just then, the professor made a blue portal appear behind him before then turning his back at the teen hero and walking away. "Until we meet again, Benjamin. Good luck."

"Wait!" Ben shouted. "You never told me where Tatsumi is."

"Oh, that's simple." Paradox said and came to a stop. "He's fighting one of Night Raid's best assassins."

"Wait, like right now?!" Ben shouted in shock.

"Yes. Good luck."

So with nothing else to say, the portal engulfed Paradox and disappeared with him gone.

"HOLY SHIIIITT!" Ben shouted out loud. It just dwelled him that Tatsumi might be in danger. "Hold on, Tatsumi! I'm on my way!"

The teen hero now felt the urgency the other teenager had felt as he immediately out of bed. He made sure to quickly put on his shoes before then running out the door without haste. He didn't want to fail the boy especially at something he could prevent with the help of the Omnitrix.

Unfortunately, there was a problem. The teen hero had no idea where to go.

'I'm losssst!" He shouted in panic.

True to his words, he really was lost.

"Dammit, Tatsumi! Where are you?!"

The teen hero could feel his heart pounding as he ran through passages in search of Tatsumi or a sign of a bodyguard or the family he knew. He busted through doors, ran through corners and even tried yelling for anyone to answer him, which also didn't work.

"Damn…I guess I have to go hero then." Ben muttered to himself.

However, before he could get to it, he noticed someone walking through a passage in front of him. He also noticed as he drew closer that it was a woman with long purple hair in a purple dress, wearing what seemed to be glasses and wielding a giant pair of scissors.

"Wow, who is she?" Ben wondered.

At the point, the woman surprisingly hadn't noticed his presence despite his footsteps echoing through the hallway. Maybe she did know but decided to not pay attention to him. But then again, when Ben arrived at the passage, she still didn't turn to him.

"Hey! You!" Ben shouted. "Who the heck are you?!"

The woman came to a stop and said nothing. It wasn't known why she became silence like that, as all she did was stand there with her back at Ben with blood dripping on her hand and on her giant scissors. But then again, it was probably for the best that she did especially as Ben eyed the huge blood stain.

"What the…hell." Ben gasped.

"I'm sorry." The woman said. She didn't turn her back at him to say it. She just said spoke the words before continuing her walk away.

Now Ben was sure it was for the best she didn't turn to him. It hadn't taken him a few seconds later to realize that she was part of Night Raid despite not seeing her face since her figure kept walking away.

' _Should I stop here?'_ Ben asked himself. He could still see her figure walking silently without a word to say as he reached his two fingers to faceplate of the Omnitrix. _'She's Night Raid…I have to stop her. But wait…if those blood is there then…I have to find Tatsumi…I have to find any survivor. If she's here, then the whole group will be here.'_

So it was decided by Ben, he would leave her for the time being. He didn't know for sure if he would meet her again, and frankly couldn't be bothered any less about it. He just chose to turn away from her before going a different direction from the one she came from; knowing that a dead blood covered body was likely lying there.

But just when he thought he had seen enough, he was soon proven wrong. The reason for it, however, didn't reveal themselves to him until he came to a stop in another passage, by a window, where he then looked out and scowled at the figures he saw.

"Night Raid!" He scowled.

True to his eyes, it was indeed the group of assassin standing before his eyes. They seem to be standing in mid-air from what he could see, with presently four members standing in different poses as they looked down. They also didn't seem to notice him, which was something Ben was thankful for as he didn't want to fight them yet until he was sure Tatsumi was safe. Hence, it was the reason that he then ran off without a single word to them or a glare.

"That's it. No more playing around." Ben told himself. "I didn't want to change into any of my aliens because I didn't want to freak anybody out. But with Tatsumi in danger, I have no other choice. His friends and the chief are counting on me."

So with that said, Ben increased his speed as he entered another passage. This time, he began selecting through the hologram alien icons on the Omnitrix's faceplate before picking one that he thought was best. Then, with a single jump, he burst through a glass window at a dead end and slammed the watch.

 **Well that was fun. Did you find that great? Please let me know what you think. Also if you didn't know who the female Ben encountered, then I'll tell you. It's Sheele after she killed Aria's mother. I thought it would be fun for Ben to meet her even though they won't be much dialogue from her.**

 **Anyway, please show your support for this story. I'm only writing it as a fun idea, so it would be nice if you let me know what you think.**

 **Have a nice day/night!**


	2. Horror, gore and intervention?

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you so much for your support. I've read all the reviews, and frankly can't express how grateful I am about this. I was kind of worried this fanfic won't get that much support. So I'm glad I was wrong. Lol

Anyway, there have been suggestions of pairings and other things that I'll like to address. But before that I should let you know that this chapter was actually written with the first chapter. But the reason I never added it was…

It was over 11,000 words.

I wasn't so sure about the amount of feedback this story would receive.

So, again, thank you for showing your support. As for the pairings suggestions and other things I've actually decided them, but I'll let you know at the end of the chapter. I'll also include words of whether Ben would save certain characters like Leone, Chelsea, Lubbock and so on and if I'll be adapting the anime or the manga more.

Now with that out of the way, on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 2: Horror, gore and…intervention?**

Tatsumi was having what he could say to be the worse time of his life. He had not only woken up to the sense of blood thirst in the mansion but seen Night Raid killing the bodyguards. And worse of all, he was now fighting face to face with one of their comrades who was a sword wielding black haired girl in a black and red dress, who was more skilled than him in swordsmanship.

So far, the brown haired teen has been able to hold his own against the girl. He was able to block her attacks even though they were precise as the girl was determined to kill him right there and then. But that wasn't to say he was handling it well. In fact, the girl was soon after able to stab his chest with her blade, surprising even him until he realized she had hit something instead. It was the item that the chief gave him.

"The guys from the village protected me." Tatsumi stated proudly. He had said this in response to the girl, all the while clutching the item that had saved his life.

But while that happened, the two of them were being by a lady. She had long blond hair with lion ears, a tail and claws, with revealing outfit that consisted of a black tube top, pants, boots and a scarf around her neck.

"Hmm." She hummed. _'To think he'd still be living after facing off against Akame's Katana. That lad is pretty good.'_

However, it seemed that like the woman may be wrong. The reason for this was because of the assailant, Akame, charging at the guy with her sword ready to strike again.

"Eliminate." She said.

"Wah!" Tatsumi shouted in a mix of shock and fear. The speed the girl was going was scary as it was obvious she wouldn't hold back against him. And as much as he wanted to continue protecting Aria, he knew he was a goner, hence he waved his hand at her in an attempt to get her to stop. "You guys are after the money or something, right?" He asked frantically. "Please let the girl go! We're not even on the battlefield, yet you're trying to kill this innocent girl?!"

Unfortunately, as much as he tried, the girl wasn't listening. She was drawing close with each seconds passing with eyes directed at him with so much clarity that it was scary.

' _It's no good…'_ Tatsumi thought, seconds from being killed. _'She's not listening to a word I say… Ben, help.'_

Suddenly, Akame came to a stop, the same with the blond woman before she could stop the black haired girl. They were just inches from each when they felt the ground shake, before it became very clear that something was underneath them. So by jumping backwards, and apart from each other, both females were shocked to see a big plant creature bursting out of the ground with a grin on his face.

"I found you!" The plant monster shouted. He wasn't talking to the females or Aria, who stood a few feet back, but at Tatsumi with its one eye. "Dude, don't run off like that. Sheesh!"

"B-Ben?" Tatsumi questioned. He seemed stammered by the plant's appearance since he'd never seen it before. But when his eyes confirmed to him by looking at the hexagon symbol on its chest, he sighed in relief. "I'm saved."

Ben was a bit confused to hear this. He was currently in the form of Wildvine, a green plant alien with four legs, four long fingers on his hands, a flytrap-shaped flap that almost covered his head with black pods on his back and a green and white belt where the Omnitrix's symbol is located at.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Wildvine asked.

Ever since he changed into the alien form, it had taken some time for Ben to find Tatsumi while going through the earth. Sure, he had a great sense of direction in the ground due to the alien form he was in, but it was still kind of hard due to the dead bodies he could sense lying above. Good thing he heard Tatsumi shouting before getting to the right direction before finally popping out to see.

So with that, there was no need to stay in the current alien form. The Omnitrix seemed to know this, as soon after it began to make a strange noise while flashing rapidly, before engulfing him in green light as he took a step out of the whole he created. Now with him as a human again, he could talk to the other teen in a better level.

However, it never occurred to Ben that his transformation back to human would be startling. After all, it not only got Aria by startled and shock, but the blond lady and Akame as well as their eyes widened at the teen hero.

"The Danger Beast is a lad?" The blond lady questioned, her voice mildly expressing the shock.

"No." Akame said in disagreement. She had eyes very fixed on the teen hero.

It was unheard of to hear about a human being transforming back from a creature one would consider a Danger Beast. After all, those creatures were just ferial monsters that had no regard to any living being but their own survival, which in itself made Akame wonder something. Since the teen clearly wasn't a Danger Beast then he could be only one thing: A Teigu user.

However, their presence weren't taken into account at the moment. In fact, Ben and Tatsumi were about to speak with each other, when Aria interjected with a look of shock and dumbfounded on her face.

"B-Ben?" She shuttered in fear. "That was Ben?"

"Yeah, it was me." Ben answered as he turned to her."Sorry for freaking you out like this, I didn't really have much of a choice."

"But don't worry. You're safe now." Tatsumi assured her.

But maybe it was too soon to say that, at least to Tatsumi. The reason for this was when he turned to Akame and found her charging for Ben.

"New Target; Eliminate." She stated sharply.

"Ben, look out!" Tatsumi warned.

"Huh?" Ben turned.

If the teen had any time to react, now would be the time to do it. He did not only turn at where Tatsumi was facing but was quick to realize he was in danger, especially with Akame's blade close to stabbing through his stomach. He also didn't have enough time to select an ideal alien; hence he brought his Omnitrix arm up and slammed down on its core in hope that he gets a good one.

However, it also didn't help that the girl was very determined. She did not only get fast enough simultaneously as the flash of light happened but sent her sword straightforward at the teen's stomach, expecting it go right through his flesh. But imagine her surprise when it instead hit a white skin like it was nothing.

"What is this?" Akame asked, mildly surprised.

' _He changed again.'_ The blond lady thought. Now she was becoming intrigued.

The form before her wasn't the teenage boy she had seen a few seconds ago. In fact, the thing that was standing before her was far from being human. It had a hulking, broad shouldered figure covered in natural yellow armor plating on his back, shoulder and the back of his arms. The front side of it was mostly white while possessing claws, a wide mouth and a hexagon symbol on its chest.

"HAHA! Cannonbolt!" The alien bellowed. "Sometimes the Omnitrix can be so awesome!"

Akame was confused by what the alien meant by that. She had just pulled back her sword in the shock of the moment, when she quickly jumped back just in time to avoid a backhanded smack by the alien.

"You're in trouble now." The alien said with a smirk. He knew instantly that he had a better chance with Akame in this form, and so didn't feel threatened. But that wasn't to say he wasn't concerned about Tatsumi, who he then turned to. "I got her. You just get Aria away from here." He instructed.

"Yes." Tatsumi nodded.

The teen knew from past experience that Ben was more than capable to take on anything against him. He had fought him numerous times in sparring matches, with the same for his friends against the hero, only to then fail due to his powerful alien forms. So once he heard the hero's instruction, he immediately ran to Aria and held out his hand to her. "Aria-san, we must hurry." He said.

Aria nodded softly before accepting his hand. She was a bit dumbfounded at what just happened even though it was somewhat clear what was happening. But while that was the case, she let Tatsumi lead the way.

However, it didn't seem like Akame was going to let them go so easily. She still had her sword in her hand, as well as her determination, before then running straight at the two before they could get away.

"Not so fast!" Cannonbolt shouted.

The alien hero could easily see the predicament that would followed if he let the black haired girl get what she wanted. Hence, he ran towards her before curling into a ball and rushing straight at her, much to her surprise.

However, Akame was not deterred. She quickly jumped to her backwards right in order to avoid getting him before landing on the ground, where she got ready to run. But before she could, she had to move back again because of Cannonbolt, who went after her without a second pause from his first attempt.

' _What is this creature?'_ She wondered.

Cannonbolt was somewhat unpredictable as he was able to keep up with her. He was fast and able to keep her focus away from Tatsumi and Aria, all the while showing no indication on how he knew her positions. But if that wasn't enough, he proved to be more than that when she came to a stop, charged at him and slashed her sword at his body while passing by him with him suffering no effect. His shell was just too strong.

However, the situation soon turned against her when he did a U-turn. Akame watched as he came rolling towards her before making a jump backwards, expecting to get more space from him. But she was then proven wrong, as the hero increased his speed while she was still in mid-air and hit her in full force.

"AHH!" Akame screamed.

The girl was taken aback by the attack as her body felt the pain. Cannonbolt's attack did not only send her flying backwards, but rolling on the ground before finally coming to a stop on her stomach.

"I got you now!" Cannonbolt shouted. He could already sight the girl right before him when he said this. But rather than roll on top of her completely, he was engulfed in a flash of green light before coming to a stop as another form.

"Big Ch- What the fuck?" Ben paused. He then looked at himself. "Seriously, Omnitrix? NRG?"

As NRG, Ben was no longer a human being or anything close to that. He was still a humanoid though, but as one within an oven-like suit capable of containing the high level of radiation and the heat thathe was as. The containment suit itself has a handle on its head, bolts on his shoulders, three more on each hand and two on his chest. The Omnitrix symbol was on his chest.

But while it was good he got a fortified looking alien, the hero was not pleased by this. In fact, he sounded a bit disappointed. "Great…I needed ice power, but I got a nuclear power plant oven instead." He said and then sighed. "Well I guess I might as well make the best of it…"

Just then, Akame struggled back to her feet while still gripping her sword. She could still feel the pain from Cannonbolt's hit, as she got into a ready stance, before furrowing her eyes at her target again. This time, she wasn't surprised by his new alien form.

' _I must take him out.'_ Akame thought urgently.

It was no secret to her or her blond colleague now that the mission was taking longer to be accomplished. And frankly who could blame them? Akame was facing off against a skillful and easy target (Tatsumi) when another unexpected teenager with a questionable Teigu (Ben) had intervened to the point that he was keeping her away from her actual target, Aria.

But now that she thought about that girl, where was she? She should've been gone by now, right? Well wrong, she was still around. In fact, when Akame looked to the shed not far from here she noticed the girl was pulling back from the other teenager who was trying to be save her…if only he and the Teigu user new why.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" NRG asked.

The alien hero was curious about the black haired girl's silence. In fact, he was even about to turn to the direction she was looking at, when suddenly she dashed at him and slashed her sword at his side as she passed him.

'Ha! Nice try." NRG stated proudly. He was still standing fine despite her attack as he continued. "You can slash as much as you can, but you're not getting me down. Let me show you one reason why."

Akame tensed a bit upon hearing this. She got her sword ready, with her feet ready to dash as she noticed the space at his head lighten up. Then, upon witnessing him shoot some kind of orange energy beam, she jumped to the right to avoid it before then making another dash towards him again.

But that wasn't to say NRG let her attack him so easily. The girl's swords may not have any effect on his containment suit, but it didn't mean he had to let her get close. Hence, he began shooting those beams from before in an attempt to stop her from coming close since she was human and could easily get hurt or worse.

However, Akame wasn't the one to be targeted so easily. In fact, when the beams came at her, she dodged their shots even though they weren't meant to hit her. She jumped left, right, forward and moved in any other direction in such a quick pace just to get close to him. Then, upon getting to him, she jumped over him with a flip, slashed her sword at his containment suit's handle and landed on the ground behind him.

But like before, her sword had no effect on him. The alien hero just turned to face her and tried to grab her, which failed as she jumped back and did a flip to land back on her feet. Then, she stood straight on her feet with a glare at him.

"You don't intend to kill, do you?" Akame asked. The reason for this was because she noticed his actions. "You have opportunities to strike me, but you choose not to."

"That obvious huh?" NRG questioned, though he sounded rhetorical. He then turned to her with his arms crossed over each other before continuing. "Yeah, I don't kill like you guys." He said strongly. "Besides, from the looks of it you can't hurt me. All I have to do is keep you occupied until Tatsumi gets Aria away from here."

"Is that so?" Akame asked. She also thought for a second if she should tell him what Aria was holding back from him. But then again, she didn't tell the boy named Tatsumi, so why should she. She had a mission to complete.

So without saying another word, Akame made another dash at him. But before she could close the gap, someone reached out from her back and grabbed her collar, stopping her in one place.

"Hold up." said the voice of the one response. It wasn't someone with Ben, but rather the girl's ally, the blond lady aka Leone.

"Uh, what are you doing?" NRG asked, confused.

"Yes. What are you doing?" Akame asked, looking up at her.

"We still have time, right?" The blond asked her back, "I owe the lad trying to get the girl into the shed a favor."

' _Trying?'_ NRG questioned to himself. It didn't make any sense to him considering the amount of time he gave Tatsumi and Aria. But when he then turned back, he saw Aria pulling back her arm while Tatsumi was trying to get her to comply by pulling back.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?" NRG plainly asked.

Tatsumi and Aria came to a stop and turned to Ben. They had been at this since Tatsumi tried getting her into the shed like he had seen the bodyguard before him try to do before he was killed by Akame. But now that he heard Ben, he turned to his direction and saw a familiar face in the form of Leone.

"You're the boob!" He shouted with a mix of shock and anger. Along with that, his hand was pointed at her.

"Yep." Leone smirked and waved at him. "The beautiful onee-san from that time."

Now it was beginning to make some sense to Ben. He turned to look at the blond, then at Tatsumi, before exploding into a fit of laughter that annoyed the other teen. It took a few seconds after before he pointed his finger at Tatsumi while looking at the blond. "So you're the chick that tricked this guy?" He asked, snickering a bit. "I would so give you a high five if we weren't enemies." He admitted.

"Idiot, don't be talking with the enemy!" Tatsumi yelled at NRG. "She's trying to kill an innocent girl."

"You call her innocent?" The blond suddenly interjected. She looked at Aria with glaring eyes before looking at NRG and walking past him. "I need to show you both something." She said.

Both NRG and Tatsumi were puzzled and confuse to hear this. The alien hero could've shot one of his beams to stop her, but chose not to since her direction was at the shed and not Aria. But when she kicked the doors of the shed open, Tatsumi was frozen in shock for a shock at what he saw. He immediately let go of Aria.

"Tatsumi, what's going on?" NRG asked. He didn't like the way Tatsumi wasn't responding nor did he like the feeling he got when he looked at the shed. But when he ran to the teen, he was frozen in an expression of horror at what he saw beyond the shed's door.

"Take a look. This is the darkness of the Capital." Leone stated with a dark tone. She also had her eyes staring too at the horror before NRG and Tatsumi.

"What…is…this?!" Tatsumi screamed in horror.

"Oh…my…I feel sick." NRG stammered. It was a good thing he was in a containment suit, that way no one would want to see how he felt.

However, like the sight just wasn't enough, Leone made it worse when she explained. "They lure unidentified people who came from the country with their sweet words and subject them to their hobby of torture and toy with them until they die."

' _No way…'_ NRG thought to himself. _'What the hell…did I just get myself into?'_

Unfortunately, the horror didn't stop just there. In fact, it just got worse when Tatsumi sighted the body of a female he knew very well, hanging with one leg gone.

"Sayo?" He questioned, shock showing on his face. "Hey, Sayo. Sayo…"

"That's…Sayo." NRG said under his breath.

Even though his face couldn't be seen, his eyes were widened in utter horror. The beautiful face that smile of a person he knew was hanging with one limb gone, naked and covered in blood.

Meanwhile, Leone rested her back against the wooden entrance, with one knee at it and her arms crossed. "So there was someone you two knew…"

But then, she noticed Aria trying to sneak away as quiet as possible. The girl likely wanted to use that chance to flee since everyone else had their attention at the horror before them. But due to the blond noticing her, she immediately went and raised her up by holding her dress's collar.

"Nuh uh…" She stated. "You're not getting off the hook by running away, little lady.

Just then, Tatsumi brought everyone's attention with a question.

"The people of the house did this?" He asked.

"That's right." The blond answered. "The guards were keeping quiet about it so they're similarly guilty."

"…Is that so?" NRG asked. It was surprisingly not a rhetorical; the blond could tell. But even though he didn't say anything, Aria sure did.

"It…It's a lie!" The girl denied with fear in her voice. "I didn't know there was a place like this! Are you two going to believe me, the one that saved the both of you, or these guys, Ben and Tatsumi?!"

NRG was unsure on what to say, the same with Tatsumi. Both heroes were grateful to her for rescuing them from the cold night before, but now current events had changed those feelings into something divided.

But just when it seemed they didn't have enough to feel, they heard a familiar voice.

"Ta…ts…mi. Be…n."

"Ieyasu!" Both NRG and Tatsumi shouted as they turned to the direction of the voice.

The person they knew as a friend was in a cage. He looked covered in dry blood with scars on his body that showed he had endured a lot of torture. And just when it wasn't bad enough, his once bright-confident face was filled with a mix of pain and horror as he reached his hand out.

"That girl invited Sayo and me…" He began explaining. "And after we ate, we lost consciousness…and we were here when we came to. Th…that girl…she tortured Sayo to deaaath…!"

The word death echoed a bit more than it should as it dwelled on not just Tatsumi but NRG as well. The latter had faced many insane villains in numerous times, but not ones where he witnessed their handiwork in such horror. So it was no surprise that he was silent. But inside his suit he was trying not to puke out.

Suddenly, something snapped in Aria. She smacked her arm against the Leone hand, freeing herself, before speaking out rash in a dark phase unlike her former kind persona.

" **YOU'RE JUST WORTHLESS HICKS FROM THE COUNTRY, RIGHT!?"** She shouted with her insanity entirely gone. **"THE SAME AS CATTLE! I SHOULD BE FREE TO TREAT THEM HOWEVER I WANT! BESIDES, THAT GIRL WAS SO IMPERTINENT FOR HAVING SUCH STRAIGHT HAIR FOR A FARM ANIMAL! EVEN THOUGH I'M TROUBLED WITH SUCH UNRULY HAIR! THAT'S WHY I AGONIZED HER SO METICULOUSLY! IN FACT, SHE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF HER!"**

"A family of sadists…" Leone commented. "…that takes the guise of Samaritans." Then she turned to Akame. "Sorry for getting in your way, Akame."

"Eliminate." Akame said. She already had her sword out to kill the girl.

"Wait!"Tatsumi suddenly interjected. He heard quiet enough especially with one thing now on his mind now that he knew the truth.

However, Leone didn't see it yet, with the same for NRG. The teen hero was still silent at the time as his mind was still trying to recover what he just heard, unaware of Tatsumi bringing out his sword.

"Don't tell me…" Leone said. "are you trying to defend her again?"

"No." Tatsumi answered.

NRG snapped back to reality in response. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, especially from Tatsumi of all people despite what had just been revealed. But sadly, it seemed he was wrong about Tatsumi as he could see him heading to the girl with his sword ready to kill her.

As for Tatsumi, to himself, what he felt there was pure hatred filled mixed regret. He couldn't believe he had been a fool to not only believe the girl was nice but to live under her while his friends were dying. And now that he was close to her, he was ready to deliver the kill without a single hesitation.

But then, a flash of green light came from behind, followed by a green beam hitting Aria. It didn't hurt her or kill her, but instead knocked her to the ground unconscious.

"That would be enough, Tatsumi." said a new voice.

Tension was still high, probably more than before now that Ben had intervened. He wasn't NRG anymore, but instead another metal looking alien with the exception of it being a containment suit. In fact, he looked more robotic than his previous alien form. He was also yellow in color, with black stripes and a transparent piece of green circular glass on his chest, revealing gears inside of him where on the surface the Omnitrix symbol was present.

"What did you do, Ben?!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. This wasn't like the times they got into small squabbles or minor fights; this was one of pure anger. In fact, it was so bad that Tatsumi faced Ben with a scowl look on his face. "Don't get in my way! She has to pay!"

"I know." Ben said, standing as Clockwork. "However, I cannot allow you to kill someone when I'm around. But even if you try now, you won't succeed. She's frozen in time, that way you and anybody else would be able kill her."

"He can't be serious!" Leone scowled a bit. _'Just what the heck does he think he's doing saving her?'_

Clockwork understood very much how Tatsumi felt. He knew he was mad about the lost of his friends, the torture they felt and the inability that he was there to save them. But even though he has experienced these things, he chose not to do let it happen even as Tatsumi was glaring angrily at him, frozen between what to say in frustration.

Hence, while the teen was conflicted, Clockwork turned sideways and went over to Ieyasu's cage. "Now if you can clear your head, maybe I can save Ieyasu before he dies too." Clockwork said to Tatsumi

"What?!" Tatsumi questioned with his eyes in shock and confusion.

' _He's bluffing…right?'_ Leone thought. She was surprised to hear this, especially from the hero. But then again, she found she was also curious to know.

However, Clockwork didn't bother to explain how he would do it. He just went ahead to Ieyasu's cage, ripped the bars apart and grabbed Ieyasu by the armpits before he could fall. Then, he lay his very weak body on the ground before then shooting a green beam from his chest to the boy as the key on his head turned.

Meanwhile, curiosity got the better of Tatsumi as it led him to go back to the shed. The same was felt for the Leone and Akame, who at the same time went into the shed just in time to see something unexpected. The tortured and blood covered body of Ieyasu was healing at a rapid rate, as even his wounds and scars began to disappear as well. But just when it couldn't get any stranger, it did. His clothes, hair and accessories were restored back to the way they were.

"Done." Clockwork said.

It had been a short while, but he had finally done. Ieyasu was completely restored to the state his body was three days ago, surprising Leone and Akame while bringing tears to Tatsumi who ran to his friend's side.

"Ieyasu! Hey, Ieyasu!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Ta…Tatsumi." Ieyasu answered with a dry tone. He didn't know why his body suddenly felt so much better or the fact that he felt better clothed. But when he opened his eyes, the first person he saw before him was Tatsumi. "Tatsumi…is that you?" He smiled. "You know. Sayo…she didn't submit to that fucking girl…She even believed Ben would come to save her again…too the very end. Now if you excuse me I suddenly feel like…taking a nap."

So with nothing else to say, Ieyasu let his head slump to the side with his consciousness off. He had a pleasant grin on his face as he did that while his friend Tatsumi smiled back before turning to Clockwork.

"Thank you…" He said gratefully. "So…when are you getting to Sayo?"

Clockwork was silent in response. He wasn't sure how he should express the bad news to Tatsumi because even then he was still coming to terms of what he witnessed a while ago. But just when he was about to walk away, Leone stood in his way with her eyes narrowed at him.

"You can't raise the dead, can you?" Leone asked, her voice being rhetorical.

"Yes." Clockwork answered and admitted. His voice was heavy as it could be in his current alien, even as he then turned sideways to Tatsumi, who was in a moment of shock. "I'm sorry, Tatsumi." He apologized. "If Sayo was alive, I could have saved her. But Clockwork can't resurrect people from the dead."

"Wa-wait then…" Tatsumi stammered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But Ieyasu…you…"

"Yes, but he was alive." Clockwork stated. "As this form, I can control the flow of time. So I didn't heal him. I just…reverted his body back to how it was three day agos…I can also do the same for Sayo…but her soul…she's gone. I'm sorry."

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to be silent. He had his head down on the ground as his mind recalled Clockwork's words over and over. Meanwhile, Leone walked out of Clockwork's way before watching the hero walk outside as he went over to Aria, who was still lying down on the ground.

"Hey! Are you seriously going to save her?!" Leone shouted.

This got Tatsumi's immediate attention. He was still in pain over the news he just heard, when he suddenly got back to his feet and ran outside the shed. From there, he stopped and scowled at Clockwork.

"So that's just it?!" He yelled angrily. "She killed Sayo, Ben! You're helping that bitch?!"

"That's correct." Clockwork said.

Though it may not seem like it, Ben was actually troubled by the anger coming out of Tatsumi. It was understandable, especially as he was seeing him pick up the girl still stuck in frozen time and placing her over his shoulder.

"You won't believe me, but she'll be useful in the future." Clockwork stated. "So if you choose to hate me…I won't blame you."

Tatsumi was silent in response to this. Clockwork was right, he didn't understand. He didn't understand how his friend was saving the murderer who not only tortured his two friends but killed one of them like they were cattle. And even though he still had the urge to kill her, he knew he had no chance against Ben in a physical fight.

"Ben…" Tatsumi finally said. He seemed hesitant at first as a lump seemed to be in his throat. But he had to say his mind. "Ben…Sayo looked up to you…I even think she was crushing over you…so if you take that monster with you…we won't be friends anymore."

Now it was once again Clockwork's turn to be quiet. He kind of expected this from Tatsumi.

"Then I guess we're no longer friends." Clockwork concluded. "…Until we meet again…bye, Tatsumi…"

"Bye…" Tatsumi whispered.

Meanwhile, Akame held the handle of her sword, ready to move at Clockwork again. She didn't want her mission to go unaccomplished especially now that Clockwork had turned his back and began walking away. But then when she took a step, Leone held her by the shoulder and said. "Let's let this one slide. We'll be watching that kid…whoever he is."

Akame nodded in response.

So with the drama, so came an unexpected ending. Tatsumi had his back at Clockwork while the latter continued walking into the forest until he couldn't be seen.

"What's wrong with the Capital?" Tatsumi muttered.

Indeed, what was wrong with the Capital? It had not just claimed one of his fiends but made him lose another just a moment ago. But while he was thinking that, Leone stood with her arms crossed and a thought in mind. She watched as Akame began to walk away, when she finally concluded what she had to say.

"Let's go." Akame said.

"Hey, why don't we bring the other lad back with us?" Leone asked. She sounded intrigued about the Tatsumi. "Our hideout's always shorthanded." She said.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi was still in his thoughts. He failed to notice both Akame and Leone passed both his sides until the blond grabbed him by back of his collar, causing him to fall on his butt before being dragged away.

"So don't you think he has luck, guts and skill as well…" Leone continued. She was currently by Akame's side as they kept moving.

"Lemme go!" Tatsumi shouted in rebellion. "I have to get Ieyasu and dig Sayo's grave!"

"Ah, I'll bring them both to the hideout later, so don't worry." Leone assured.

"Whaaat!" Tatsumi shouted. He tried again to get his collar out of the lady's grip but he found it impossible. And seeing that was the case, he began p panic. "Ben, where are you?! Help me! I know you can hear me! Ben! Beeeen!"

"Hmph." Ben cocked a grin.

Currently, the teen was back to normal as he was sitting on a large tree trunk. There was a pond close to location while Aria's body lay next to it unconscious. The night had really been something unexpected, as even Ben never expected it to be this way, But when he thought about that time he shot that time energy blast at Aria, he was somewhat fine with the outcome.

"So weird…" He murmured. "To think I could see the future…of her of all people. But I guess it's not so bad…I just need to figure out how to get her there. As for Night Raid…now that I think about it, was it a good idea to leave Tatsumi and Ieyasu alone with them…?"

"BEEEEENNNN!" Tatsumi's voice could be heard afar.

"Nah, I'm sure he's fine." Ben said and snickered. "He always complained about me taking all his saves, so it should be fine he saved himself, right? …Yeah, I'm right."

So with nothing else to say, Ben jumped down from the huge trunk and laid down next to Aria. He wasn't sure what the future of this world had ready for them, nor did he know how to prepare for it. But whatever the case may be, he was going to give it his best to make this place a better world.

 **That sure was something huh? I know, the ending was so an unexpected twist. But then again that's what I intended it to be. This story is meant to be unique and stand out by that in order to be very entertaining. I even originally had Tatsumi and Ben (as Diamondhead or Kickin' Hawk) fight before scrapping that thought away. The reason for that is because I didn't want to damage their friendship more than it already was. I still want them to retain good thoughts about each other despite the divide.**

 **I also expanded the fight scene between Ben and Akame since this is now a chapter of its own. Originally, when I had this be with the first chapter, the fight scene was brief with Ben just using NRG to shoot her while Akame just got close to strike before Leone intervened. But thanks to your support, I believed you deserve better, hence I added Cannonbolt and added more to NRG's role.**

 **So with that, let's get to certain things some readers brought up.**

 **Pairings – I've read all the reviews concerning this with great interest. I originally had this be BenXAria until I noticed that doesn't even have the girl's name listed and the fact that it may be a turn off to some readers if I keep it that way (she is a hated character, after all). So after thinking it over with some pairing suggestions by you guys, I've decided to leave it open. This means that they'll be BenXAkame moments, BenXLeone moments, BenXChelsea moments (if I ever get to that) and BenXAria moments. As for other pairings such as Lubbock and Najenda, I won't be able to do that. The reason is before I feel the woman is more focused on ridding the corruption in the empire than experiencing romance. It also doesn't help that she never shows any feelings to Lubbock in the anime. But for Tatsumi and Mine, there'll be hints and possibly a romance growth from there (I'm just going to see how that one goes).**

 **Deaths – Not surprising, you guys are hoping Ben prevents certain deaths. So be rest assured that he will. But that's not to say it's all of them. I will let one or two characters from Night Raid die. Come on, it won't be interesting if Ben saves everyone, right? I could reveal who they are, buuuuut I think it'd be interesting if you see who.**

 **Manga or Anime – By this, I mean if this story will go accordingly with the anime or the manga. I've heard around the internet of how good the latter is compared to the storyline the anime went and honestly can't disagree with that. But unfortunately, I haven't read the manga yet. I plan to do it since its already over, I just need to find enough free time to attend to it and other manga. But besides that reason, there's the fact that I don't want this story to drag so long with the manga. The next reason is because the anime is shorter in comparison. I'm sorry.**

 **Well that wraps up everything. Thank you so much for your support. I'll see to bringing more updates as much as possible. So please continue to support me in this story and if you got questions you want answered or suggestions then please let me know. Bye!**


	3. Sorrow, spoilt brat and a Danger Beast?

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

There's something I noticed in a few reviews from the last chapter. Now don't get me wrong; I don't have anything against the reviews I'm about to speak about. But I thought I should bring up some things about Aria so we can all enjoy what I'm going to do with the character. So if you're fine with Aria or just want to read the chapter then please go right ahead. If not, please read certain things about her presented below.

 **Back story -** We only know Aria belongs to a rich family who I presume are nobles and that she's a murderous psychotic bitch who sees herself above the poor people. But other than that, we aren't even informed about how she came up to be such a person or even see if she had any other likings besides shopping and torturing people. Her only purpose for the anime and manga was just to trigger the event for Tatsumi to join Night Raid cause think about it, would Tatsumi have joined the group of assassins if she and her family didn't exist? I doubt it.

 **Similarities with other evil characters –** If you're very familiar with a wide range of anime characters, you would know they're good characters who became bad or just the villain becoming a good guy. Like for instance Jellal from Fairy Tail, Vegeta from Dragonball Z, Sasuke from Naruto, Crona from Soul Eater, Gin Ichimaru from Bleach and many more. I could go on and list them, but you get the point. So while Aria was dark and murderous, that isn't to say she couldn't have been redeemed in some way like some of the characters I mentioned. Akame got that chance when she was still killing for the empire.

 **She was still a kid –** What was she? Sixteen or Fifteen? Yeah, she was no adult. I'm bringing this up because she was brought up by her evil parents to be that way. We even see in the anime that the parents were into luring their victims, which I doubt Aria is the one who started it. Heck, even the mother had a diary on what they did to them. She wasn't born evil (no one is); she was just made into who she was by her parents.

So in closing, about Ben saving her, if you know the teen hero then it shouldn't surprise you that he intervened. Maybe other stories have Aria die, which I have read and understand why they let it be so. Also, please take this Aria as an alternate version. I'll do my best to make her a redeeming character while not rushing it so you can enjoy the story.

So with nothing else to say, on with the chapter.

 **Chapter 3: Sorrow, spoilt brat and…a Danger Beast?**

 **FLASHBACK!**

A feeling of excitement and determination was in the air, aimed to help the village. Tatsumi knew this, with the same going for his friends, Sayo, Ieyasu and Ben as they stood next to each other.

"We three swear that when we die, we die together!" Sayo exclaimed with her fist up in the air.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ieyasu. He also had his fist up in the air. "We're gonna get successful in the Capital and earn money!"

"We're gonna save our poor hometown!" Tatsumi exclaimed as well.

"Yeah…what they said." Ben murmured. He wasn't so keened on the 'we die together' thing by Sayo.

 **FLASHBACK END**

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 **LINEEEEEEEEEEEE BRREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK**

But it wasn't the same now, not with how things had turned out. Tatsumi, Sayo, Ieyasu and Ben may have left the village with full hearts of ambition and determination, but now they were incomplete and void of that. Sayo was tortured and murdered while Ieyasu had survived the same fate due to Ben's intervention. However in the cost of doing so, the friendship shared with the superhero was gone once he took the one responsible for Sayo's death and Ieyasu's torture to safety for unknown reasons.

So presently, both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were sitting before the grave of Sayo. It had two big rocks on top of each other with a bunch of flowers wrapped in cloth laid by it.

"…and we even said stuff like that." Tatsumi stated with a sad tone.

"Yeah…" Ieyasu muttered. "It's just us now."

Both of them knew this was true. They weren't friends with Ben anymore despite he was able to save Ieyasu, who in return felt mixed about it.

' _I almost joined her…'_ Ieyasu thought. He had his eyes, like Tatsumi, staring depressingly at Sayo's grave as the past came to mind, followed by a new thought. _'Ben saved me…but Sayo is alone now.'_

Just then, he gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. _'Dammit, Ben, why did you have to save her?! You idiot!'_ He thought angrily. _'I won't let this down…I'll find that girl and I will avenge Sayo!'_

So with that, Ieyasu had made up his mind there and then. He didn't think for a second to let it be known to Tatsumi as he felt his friend had suffered enough from what had happened. But just because he didn't, it didn't mean he wasn't taken aback when he turned to Tatsumi just to see something surprising.

Good thing it wasn't too alarming. It just turned out that Leone placed her breasts on top of his head.

"Whoooa?!" Tatsumi screamed from shock.

Leone's action came as a surprise as it ruined the mood. It caused him to get right back on his feet, before then backing away with his arms up in a comedic defense.

"What're you doing all of a sudden?!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, Leone was surprisingly calm about his outburst. She just stood back up straight before turning to him with something to say.

"Don't keep sulking forever." She stated. "It's been three days already. Have you made your decision to become a part of Night Raid? Your friend has."

"That's because of th-those things!" Tatsumi yelled. By 'those things', he was talking about Leone's breasts, which he was now pointing at.

"No, it wasn't!" Ieyasu rebuked. He had an offended look on his face upon looking at Tatsumi, before then standing up. "Besides, you can't blame me for liking boobs!"

"So you are a pervert!" Tatsumi pointed accursedly at his friend.

"Don't jump into conclusions!" Ieyasu yelled back.

Things from here onwards seemed it would be about the two teenage boys arguing at each other. Tatsumi was against Ieyasu, while the latter was the same towards his friend. But before they could argue any further, Leone grabbed both boys with both of her hands and pressed a part of their faces against her breasts.

"Now that's enough, you two."Leone stated lightheartedly. "I think you both have talent for killing. Onee-san guarantees it."

Now both teens felt like calming down from their argument. Tatsumi took into mind what the blond assassin said, while Ieyasu covered his nose so he wouldn't have a nose bleed for obvious reasons.

"I'm not wavering because of talent and such…" Tatsumi muttered. _'Something like murder.'_

But that didn't seem to deter the chirpy blond from her goal. She just smirked at him like in response before then wrapping her arms around both boys' necks, causing both to cough as their heads touch more of her breasts.

"At any rate, I'll show you around the hideout today." The blond stated.

However, Tatsumi and Ieyasu weren't in the best position to causally reply. The two of them could feel the strong grip the lady had on them as she immediately went to the direction of their hideout, which surprisingly was so open.

"My neck!" Tatsumi yelped.

"Mine too!" Ieyasu shouted. "I don't wanna die!"

But Leone didn't really respond to them as they expected. She just continued walking to the direction of the hideout as she gestured to the area. "By the way, this is in the mountains ten kilometers north of the Capital." She informed them.

"Is that okay leaving it so open?!" Tatsumi shouted. "Aren't you assassins for hire?!"

Meanwhile, Ieyasu kept silent as a huge grin was on his face, followed by a small stream of blood coming out of one of his nostrils.

_0000000000000000000000000000_

 **LINE BREAK**

' _Where am I now?'_ Ben thought to himself.

The teen wasn't sure how long he has been walking. He was in some kind of swamp with large trees and weird creatures that seemed to pop out of nowhere once in a while. They weren't threatening or something for the teenager to worry about, but it didn't help that the bottom parts of his pants was wet while trying to activate the Omnitrix, which was failing to respond at all.

"Ah dumb watch!" Ben yelled with an annoyed expression. He had the Omnitrix a few meters from his face as he constantly tinkled with it in one of many attempts to make it work."Come on, just give me anything. I'll take even Grey Matter right now."

Right at that moment, Ben was feeling desperate to get the alien watch to work. He tried activating the randomizer function or anything almost dangerous to do to the Omnitrix. But then again, after so many attempts, he just threw his arms up with his face at the skies and screamed in frustration.

"Where the heck am I?"

The teen was also feeling hopeless. He hadn't spotted a human being or any sign of a person other than him. In fact, he didn't even know how he got to this predicament or how it led to this. But just before the teen could let out another frustration, he noticed something strange. The dark gloomy clouds departed at an area, letting a ray of bright light at somewhere very close.

"That's weird." Ben murmured.

Indeed, the sight was weird to see. The light did not only seem so bright and heading straight down to the ground, but also at a place that got Ben to turn to it. Hence, when he did, his eyes were a bit widened as he stared at a familiar girl wearing a white robe.

"Sayo…" Ben murmured. "No, it can't be…You're dead."

However, Sayo said nothing back at him. Her entire front body was before him as the light from the sky continuously brightened her place while a small wind blew her hair majestically. But even as this happened, she turned from Ben and ran off.

"Sayo, wait!" Ben shouted. He reached his out in an attempt to stop her, but immediately found that to be futile.

For an unknown reason, Sayo refused to listen to him. She just kept running with her back at the teen hero while he grasped what was going on. It didn't make any sense to him then about the girl seemingly being alive nor did he consider the possibility about it. But a few seconds after was all he needed to run after her.

But that wasn't to say it was any easier than it should be. Sayo was quick and able to keep the distance between Ben and her while the latter person found it hard to run as his legs constantly ran through the swampy water.

' _This…this doesn't make any sense.'_ Ben thought skeptically. _'Sayo is dead…so can someone tell me why I see her?'_

The mystery in the whole scene felt crazy to the young Tennyson. He just ran and ran as fast as he could as he tried keeping up with Sayo so he wouldn't lose sight of her. But when she made a turn, and he followed, he came to a sudden stop before a huge tree.

' _Great…this is officially beginning to creep me out.'_ Ben thought. He looked around at his front for any sign of the black haired girl before realizing she had completely vanished. It didn't make sense, but it was enough for Ben to walk backwards while keeping his guard up."Okay…time to find a way out of this creep-fest." He said to himself.

However, the creepiness was only just beginning for him. In fact, when he turned back, he came face to face with a floating Sayo, whose face was directly at his own.

"AAAHH!" Ben screamed. He hadn't expected such an appearance from the girl. Hence, when it happened he took a step back with his arms up at guard."Not cool, Sayo. Not cool!" He stated.

However, Sayo still said nothing in response. She just stared at the teen hero while having no expression on her face before walking towards him quietly. But now that she did, Ben noticed something very creepy about her. Her eyes were just white.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?" Ben asked. He felt some form of fear as he watched the blank faced look of his friend proceeding over to him like something out of a creepy ghost.

But she still didn't respond to him anyway. She just kept walking towards him, even to the point that when he took a cautious step back she still went closer. Then, before the hero knew it, she noticed his forehead, causing a bit of nausea to overcome him.

"Urgh…I…I don't feel good." Ben murmured.

The feeling of nausea came crashing down on him more than what he would've expected. He did try to stay on his feet despite his feet feeling weakened though, until finally succumbing to it as he fell to the ground. But rather fall into the swampy waters, he found his body hitting the hard earthly floor.

"Ugh!" He coughed.

The impact to the fresh ground wasn't just unexpected, but it was a bit painful. It led Ben to slowly get back on his feet as the nausea from earlier disappeared mostly like it was never there.

"That's weird." Ben commented. He touched his forehead as he rose to the ground before putting it down. "That feeling is gone…But where am I?"

Indeed, where was the teen hero? He knew for certain that upon looking around that he certainly wasn't in the swamp. In fact, he was in a clearing in a forest that seemed surprisingly familiar to him.

' _Okay…this isn't making any sense either.'_ Ben thought uncertain. _'One moment I was in a swamp and now I'm in some clearing in a really familiar forest….And here I thought I've experienced enough weirdness…"_

Unfortunately, the mystery just didn't seem to be answered anytime soon. The teen hero was able to take a look around his front for anything worth getting his attention before letting out a sigh. The reason was because of the small strain on his face which displayed how troubled he was until he turned to his back and was taken aback by what he saw.

The expression of the hero no longer held any strain. His eyes were widened while his mouth was a bit open as yet another feeling of nausea crept over him. This time, it was out of dread as his eyes stared horrifically at a certain big shed and Sayo standing before it.

"No…it can't be…" Ben gasped.

However, again, Sayo said nothing to him. She just stared blankly at him while her hair blew blissfully in air until the doors of the shed tore themselves open and she walked inside.

"No! Sayo, get away from that!" Ben shouted. He sent his hand forward in an attempt to reach her as his mind immediately kicked into his fear and horror. But as he tried to move, he felt some things grab his legs. "Huh?" Ben expressed, confused.

But when he looked down, he gasped in shock and fear at what he saw. The hands of unknown people were shooting out of the ground, grabbing his legs and pants as their groans could be heard so loud. The teen hero didn't know what to make of this; it just seemed impossible to escape.

The zombie hands were firmly tightened around him as they pulled on him in such a way that he couldn't free himself. It also didn't help that as he tried touching the Omnitrix's faceplate, which still refused to do anything.

Just then, the zombies' grips became more than just to keep him from moving. They began to pull so hard on him that the teen found his legs sinking into the ground, all the while slapping the Omnitrix's faceplate. But it didn't change a single thing for the hero. The hero's body was pulled down to his chest level, where at that moment the entire bodies of the zombies came out, grabbed his arms, before pulling him all the way into the earth.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Ben screamed.

The teen feared the worse as he was consumed by the earth. The zombies covered his entire view of the earth before his eyes opened once again to yet a new scene. This time, he was suspended in the air with hands held up upwards by chains at each wrists and ankles.

"Wh-where am I?" Ben questioned.

"You're here." answered a familiar female voice.

"Huh?"

Ben was confused by the response he heard. He knew he heard somewhere before, but couldn't be sure about it until he looked up at the source. Hence, the person he saw was floating down at him in a somewhat angelic manner as the light around her dissipated to reveal Sayo, this time with her black pupil eyes.

"Sayo?" Ben questioned.

"Hello, Ben." Sayo greeted pleasantly. She had a warming smile on her face as she floated directly before him despite his confused expression. Then, without a warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck as a gasp came out of her lips, followed by tears slowing leaking out of her then closed eyes. "I'm so happy you're here." She said.

"Here?" Ben questioned. "I…I don't understand."

"I know…" She replied. But something didn't feel right. She opened her eyes as a frown came over her face, which led to a depressed and sad tone. "But why…why didn't you save me?"

Ben was taken aback by this question. He became quiet as the girl's words sunk into him, unsure of what to say. But even as he said nothing, she still continued.

"Remember that time the Danger Beast attacked…" She said. "Tatsumi, Ieyasu and I were able to take care of some Danger Beasts, when the last of them caused by an avalanche as it fled. I was so scared…Tatsumi and Ieyasu were out of the way when it happened. But you…you jumped right in when we didn't know each other, and saved me as that tiger, Rath…You were so awesome."

"Yeah…" Ben murmured. He didn't know why, but he chose to speak there. "I wanted to use Ghostfreak but the Omnitrix chose otherwise."

However, the girl said nothing in response to this. She instead released her arms from the teen hero before then floating before him with her arms on her chest. "So why…why didn't you save me again?" She asked with a depressed voice. "You were there for me…for Tatsumi…forIeyasu…but you didn't save me…But you saved her…that girl…the one who did this to me."

Suddenly, Sayo's entire body changed drastically. Her beautiful white robes and graceful body were gone in an instance as they were replaced with a gore of the past. She wasn't even clothed at her. She floated there with dried blood all over her body, one limb (leg) gone, hair displaced with a few strands of it covering a part of her breasts and chains at her arms.

"Why, Ben?!" She screamed suddenly. "Why did you save her?! Tell me!"

"I…I…" Ben stammered. "I couldn't bring you back."

"No…You're lying!" Sayo shouted. Her voice was in a mix of grief and anger as she did this. "You saved her! You left me alone! You abandoned Tatsumi…"

"No…" Ben muttered.

"and Ieyasu…"

"No…"

"our friendship…."

"Stop it!"

"AND THE VILLAGE!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Ben scowled angrily.

The teen finally felt he was at a breaking point. He breathed heavily as he glared momentarily at her until he realized what he was doing. He was angry and frustrated at Sayo, for what? The truth? Well most of it anyway. But since that realization dawned on him, he looked down in regret and said nothing.

As for Sayo, her body went back to how it was, in bright robes and fine skin. She didn't say anything to him though, as the entire scene changed to just pitch black and the chains holding Ben disappearing. But rather than scream, Ben let his knees hit the ground with his head still down.

Just then, Sayo landed on the ground in front of him. She looked at him with no expression before then squatting down and lifting his chin at her by her hand for him to see her face. She could now see the sadness displayed on his face.

"If you couldn't save me in time…" Sayo said. "…then you will never be able to save the empire. Now wake up, she's about to kill you."

"Huh?" Ben was confused.

However, the teen didn't get to understand what she meant by the last part. His eyes suddenly wiped open to an entire environment, a forest, this time though with Aria on top of him with a knife held by both hands above her head and a frustrated look on her head.

"DIE!" She shouted.

"Again…" Ben said.

The time, however, wasn't right to joke about it. The reason for this was Aria, who immediately sent her knife down on Ben's head only for the teen hero to grab both wrists with his own hands.

"Well…good morning to you too." Ben joked.

"Just die!" Aria shouted.

"Uh…no."

Ben was certainly not going to let her have her way. He made her arms to strike the knife down at the ground next to his head before then wrapping his left arm around her side and pushing her to the ground next to him. As such, he was on top of her while she was on the ground glaring at him.

"Get off me, pervert!" Aria yelled angrily. "I will not have a cattle molest me!"

"Molest?" Ben questioned. He was taken aback by this claim. "First off, you were the one on top of me. And second, you're too crazy for my liking."

"Crazy?!" Aria yelled. "How dare you?! Do you know who you're speaking with, cattle?!"

"Yeah, you mentioned that like a billion times for the past three days."

"Shut it!"

"Whatever." Ben said and rolled his eyes. He didn't feel bothered with the girl's character since in a thing he has gotten used to it. After all, this isn't the first time she tried to kill him.

So with no other reason to hold her down, the teen hero stood up and walked over to the knife to pick it up. Meanwhile, Aria sat up and continued to yell at him.

"How long are you going to keep me prisoner?!" Aria demanded. "I'll have you know I can have you beheaded for kidnap."

"Well first off…again…" Ben said as he picked the knife. "I didn't kidnap you. I saved you from being killed by Tatsumi. And second…"He paused and held his other arm out just in time to halt an approaching Aria by the head. "you would be dead in this forest without me."

"Let me go!" Aria protested. While at that, she waved her hand constantly at Ben to the knife."Give that back, it's not yours!"

"Yeah, I figured that out, genius." Ben said sarcastically. He had his other hand holding the knife away from her. "I'm not good at analyzing certain objects, but even I can tell it's no ordinary object. So I wonder if I can sell this."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Well I'm tired of being broke."

"I don't care!"

Ben sighed in response. "Would it hurt if you went back to that sweetheart version of yourself? That was cuter than this."

"Burn in hell!"

"I had a feeling you'll say that." Ben murmured.

It was obvious to the teen hero that Aria hadn't changed a little bit since he rescued her from getting killed. She has insulted him constantly, tried to kill him on numerous occasions and in one case tried to trick him to let his guard so she can again try to kill him.

So since Ben was used to Aria's attitude, he walked to his left side, causing Aria to fall face-first into the ground. But the girl didn't let that go so easily. In fact, she soon stood back up after wiping sand off her face before pointing accursedly at him. "I'll have you at the glutton for that!"

"The guillotine…" Ben muttered. A thought had come to mind. "That's what Sayo said about Ieyasu once." He stated in a whisper. _'And now that I think about her…I've been having dreams of her and that incident since then. Every night she always appeared –'_

"Hey, are you listening to me?!" Aria suddenly interrupted.

"Hm?" Ben turned to her.

"Hmph! Of course you weren't! Idiot Cattle!" Aria insulted. She had her usual look of anger, before a malicious grin then took over her face as a look of evil was in her eyes. "Ieyasu's that pig, am I right?"

Ben winced at the name she called him. He tightened his right fist as his eyes immediately shot a warning glare at her. Unfortunately, this only seemed to fuel the girl's mood.

" **HAHAHA! I'M RIGHT!** " She shouted. **"I REMEMBER THE LOOK OF TERROR ON HIS FACE WHEN HE REALIZED WHAT WE DID TO HIM AND THAT DAMN BITCH WITH THAT ACCURSED LONG HAIR! THAT WE LOCKED THEM AND TOYED WITH THEM LIKE THE CATTLES THEY WERE! I ENJOYED SEEING HIM SUFFER, ALMOST AS MUCH AS THAT GIRL! TELL ME, IS HE DEAD? DID HE COUGH OUT BLOOD AS MY MOTHER'S DRUG WENT INTO ITS FINAL STAGE! TELL ME! TELL –"**

Suddenly, Aria came to a stop when Ben slapped her at the face. He had a look of anger on his face as he stared into her eyes in such a way that it scared her. In fact, no sooner did he do this did he bring the back of his hand up to strike her again. But for an unknown reason to her, he dropped his hand as a serious look took over.

"You people are monsters." Ben stated boldly. "You kill those from the country just because they weren't lucky to be nobles or wealthy. I can see why Tatsumi wanted to kill you back then. But you know what…I won't step into that line, not ever. I'm going to save you from those thoughts your parents fed you and I will end the corruption going on in this empire no matter what. As for Ieyasu, he's alive and safe with Tatsumi. You and your parents failed."

Aria, however, didn't like hearing this. The fear she had for Ben was instantly gone as rage came over and led her to grab the knife out of the hero's hand.

"Shut up!" She shouted angrily.

The rage she was feeling was unlike what Ben had seen through her before. Clearly, he had triggered something within her to act this way. But just because that was the case, it didn't mean he let he stab him when she swung her knife at him. So he grabbed her wrist.

"You won't last long." Ben stated with a stern voice. "You don't understand people. I may not know this world all too well, but by what I've gotten from people I think I get it long enough. The world is filled with savage villains, some of which are like you."

"Let go of me!" Aria yelled angrily. "Cattle like you need to know your place!"

"No." Ben said immediately. "I get it; you're a noble. You had mummy and daddy's love and wealth to make you treat others differently. That is why you tortured and murdered those you felt lower than you. But one day you'll get a reality check that even your parents' money won't be able to save you."

"I said let go!" Aria yelled angrily.

The words said by Ben were getting to her too much. She couldn't stand the 'insults' he was giving her deceased family or the fact that he was 'belittling' her despite her status in life. So it came as no surprise to Ben that she tried to slap him, only for that wrist to be grabbed by Ben as well.

"Noble?! Wealth?! Treating those lower to make yourself better?!" Ben shouted back. "None of that matters! Don't dis people like that!"

"Fuck off!" Aria barked at him. "You're all cattle! Cattle!"

It would appear that Aria wouldn't take in Ben's words as he wanted. She just looked at him with anger and regret until he surprisingly let go of her and turned away, walking to another direction.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Aria shouted in demand.

"Going to clear my head! Don't wait up!" Ben answered with an angry tone.

"Like hell I will!" Aria shouted back.

The blond psychopath finally felt she had enough of the teen hero. She watched him with a growling look as he headed to a stream of water down the area before turning her back at him and walking away to a different direction.

' _How dare he treats me like that?!"_ Aria thought furious to herself. _'I'll have him killed. No! Tortured in prison for this! I'll make sure he has little to no food just to see how much he'll break! Then I'll have him beg for mercy and forgiveness as I have my way with him! But first I have to get back to the Capital!'_

However, the last part was easier said than done. The reason was because Aria had no idea where the Capital could be. She had been unconscious when Ben took her away from Tatsumi and Night Raid before being led about by Ben throughout the days since then. Apparently, Ben wanted to take her to a village he knew close by that could accommodate them. But it seems now that wouldn't be the case now.

' _I have to get back…'_ Aria continuously thought. _'The Capital…I'll make that cattle pay for his words. I just need to find a road.'_

But again, the last part was easier said than done. The seconds she left Ben turned to minutes as she went through the forest in daytime in search of any sign of civilization. She almost tripped on a tree root and some rocks as she made her way through a single direction that she just decided to follow. But even with that, she began to realize something. She was hungry.

' _Damn, that cattle!'_ Aria cursed in her thought. _'I swear I'll have him-'_

Just then, something huge landed a few feet away from her. It shook the ground upon impact before letting out an ape-like roar that sent shills down Aria's spine. The girl almost didn't want to look, but her curiosity got the better of her as she indeed turned back just in time to see a big gorilla-like Danger Beast.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Aria screamed.

Throughout Aria's life, the girl had never encountered a Danger Beast. She had heard of them through the news and her parents, but never to the point of seeing one. So once her eyes were at the creature, she immediately ran as fast as she could, which wasn't much. The Danger Beast gave chase after letting out a roar with its eyes at her.

' _I don't wanna die!"_ Aria screamed in her head. She had a look of pure fear and horror as she continued running. _'I can't die here! Not like this! Not by –'_

Unfortunately for her, her thoughts were soon interrupted. The shadow of the Danger Beast was already upon her before the creature itself sent its hand at her to backhand her with full force. However, it didn't get that chance as a big orange blur ran past it, taking the girl away.

"AAAHHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME!" Aria screamed. She was so afraid of what had become of her now that she had her eyes closed. Hence, with nothing else to do, she hit her fists comically against the head of the creature holding her.

" **Hey! Quit it!"** shouted the one receiving her hits.

"Huh?"

Aria was confused to hear an actual human voice. But when she opened her eyes, she shrieked and hit her fists down on the creature's head again.

"Let me down! I don't want to be eaten!"

" **Like hell I'll want to eat you**!" The creature shouted back. **"And stop that! It's me, Ben Tennsyon!"**

"Huh? Ben?" Aria paused.

Now that she heard that name, she was puzzled about the creature when she looked at itagain. She also noticed she was in the arms of a nine feet tall muscular creature that resembled an orange and white bipedal tiger with green eyes. Along with this, it had stripes on its shoulders, head, legs and upper body as well as a black claw on each wrist while possessing no tail. But what made it even weirder and human-like is the green and luchador outfit it wore as well as the familiar symbol on its belt.

 **(A/N: I excluded the mask. Also, Rath can speak English in this fanfic)**

"Ben?" Aria questioned. She looked at the alien in wonder before hitting her fist down on his face again.

" **Hey! What was that for?!"** Ben asked, looking irritated in his current form.

"No reason." Aria answered.

Ben aka Rath shot an annoyed glare at her in response. " **Now you listen here, you –"**

"AHHH! It's coming!" Aria suddenly shouted. The look of fear was once again on her face as she pointed behind Rath.

It was a good thing Rath decided to listen, as it led him to turn back. He was able to jump out of the way just in time to avoid the avoid the gorilla-like Danger Beast's fists from crashing down on them before landing some feet away.

" **Looks like you made a friend."** Rath remarked with a mild scowling look.

"Shut up." Aria said back. "Just get me out of here."

However, Rath growled at her in response, shocking the girl. He placed her on the ground without a word before then pointing at her with an accused-like finger. " **Lemme tell you something, Aria the spoilt, psychotic and murderous brat that killed Rath's friend and tried killing Rath on numerous times, Rath does not and will never take orders from you!"**

"Brat?!" Aria yelled back. "Now you listen here –"

" **No! You listen!"** Rath shot back at her. He had his green eyes glaring at her as his feline teeth were so menacing looking that it made Aria to almost squeal in fear. But whether the alien hero knew this was left unknown as he continued. **"Rath can't be everywhere at once! Rath got other things to do too! So sit your butt there so Rath can do his thing, you got that?!"**

"Uh…uh." Aria stammered with scared eyes.

" **I said you got that?!"**

Aria nodded in response, though it was slow. She has seen a few of Ben's aliens in the past few days and in a way knew they still possessed the teenage boy's character from his human form. However, Rath was entirely different. He seemed to be harsher and mentally angry for reasons she wasn't sure was because of her or if it was just its nature.

But even with that thought in mind, she knew not to test it. Instead, she watched as Rath turned back just to see the Danger Beast standing boldly at him with a growling looking face.

" **Hey, you!"** Rath shouted as he pointed at the creature. **"Yeah, I'm taking to you, you big hairy monkey! Rath's not in a good mood…or something like that! But that's beside the point! Right now, Rath wants to let out his frustrations on you, so be honored you're gonna get a can of butt whooping!"**

' _He can't be serious…'_ Aria thought. _'That thing is huge.'_

Indeed, the difference in size was far apart and very noticeable. The Danger Beast was about twenty feet, while Rath was just nine feet just by standing fully. So when looked by appearance, the victor was clearly the Danger Beast. And though Aria would like to run away, she found her body unable to respond due to the fear going off all over her body.

But she wasn't the only one who was affected by Rath's words. The only difference though, was that the one, the Danger Beast, was so angry that it let out a roar and threw down its fists down on Rath, who in response jumped out of the way and ran towards him.

" **Here comes Rath!"** shouted the alien hero.

At the same time, the Danger Beast roared at him. The distance between it and Rath weren't much, especially as the alien hero did something unexpected. He jumped on the arm of the Danger Beast before making yet another jump, this time for its face.

" **Take a Rath-Knuckle Sandwich!"** Rath shouted out loud.

Then, before the Danger Beast could react, Rath punched him hard right at the forehead. The result immediately after was a loud pained roar, followed by the creature trying to catch Rath with both hands only for the teen hero to land safely on the ground. But when that didn't work, it roared angrily and sent both hands down on Rath again.

" **Too slow!"** Rath shouted.

It didn't come as a surprise to the alien hero that the Danger Beast would try the same attack as before. After all, he may currently have anger issues, but he wasn't dumb enough to fall victim to a cheap attack. So upon seeing it, he ran to another direction close to the Danger Beast, who ended up hitting the ground he once stood on.

However, that didn't deter the monster in the slightest. The Danger Beast had seen where Rath had gone off to; hence he tried to backhand him as another attempt. However, unlike before, Rath ducked just in time to avoid it before getting on all four legs and running away behind the Danger Beast, who in turn did the same as it then gave chase.

The chase wasn't much to brag about though, at least to Rath. He ran through the woods as the Danger Beast gave chase, punching any tree in its way while trying to keep up with the alien hero. At the same time, the alien hero went from running to jumping from tree to tree just before they were knocked down by the monster. But when he landed on the ground again, he went directly for a tree, climbed it quickly to almost the top before then making a jump backwards followed by a flip. At the same time, the Danger Beast punched the tree into half.

" **Time to make you hurt bad!"** Rath shouted.

With the Dander Beast momentarily distracted, the teen hero had an opening. His flip allowed him to go over the Danger Beast and land on the ground, where he then made a leap for his butt.

" **Literal Serious Butt Kicking!"** He shouted.

And so with that, he delivered what he said. He kicked the monster directly at the butt with much force that the weight of the Danger Beast came down on it, causing it to fall on its front. However, Rath still wasn't done yet. He climbed the highest part of a tree nearby and stood on a branch, where he then shot his arm forward.

" **From the top tree, does a body slam!"**

The alien hero had a great attack in mind as he said that. He made sure to not waste a single second as he immediately leapt into the air, grabbed his knee to his chest to do a downwards spin, before releasing himself and coming down on the Danger Beast in a nosedive with his arms across each other. So before the Danger Beast could do something, he came right down on its spinal cord.

And so with that came a loud cry of pain. The Danger Beast had been hit heavily by Rath's attack, though not enough to keep it down. In fact, rather than staying down, it became mad as it tried to get back on his feet.

" **Not so fast, Apeman!"** Rath yelled.

Presently, he was running to the top of its head for yet another attack.

" **You don't stand when Rath stands! Why? Because of this!"**

Just then, the alien hero made a huge jump from the top back. He saw as the monster continued to get up before throwing his hands down perfectly at the top of its head.

" **Cosmic drop!"** He yelled out.

The impact of the attack came as a surprise, as well as painful for the Danger Beast. It made the monster to feel unease as it stepped back just in time for Rath to land on the ground and then climb right on top of it from the legs. The alien hero did this by quickly climbing all the way past its leg and the arm, before then making a leap for its chin this time.

" **Unexpected Uppercut Swing!"**

Just then, the Danger Beast received another attack to the chin. A part of it came from Rath's fist making contact with its chin, with the other fist doing the same immediately after as he went past it up into the air. Then, as it stumbled back, he came right back down with a kick to its forehead.

" **Not-So-Literal Serious Butt Kickin!"**

With that blow, the monster couldn't take much more of it. The reason was due to the kick, and the correct timing, adding so much on its body that it fell right on its butt. But before it could consider standing up, Rath came directly down for it with his arms reared back.

" **Now finishing move!"** He cried out. **"Atomic Hammer Hit!"**

The distance between Rath and the Danger Beast was immediately closed. The monster had little to no time to react as Rath came down on it, sending a shockwave all over the head. It was followed by the monster's loud cry of pain as it instantly slumped to the ground with Rath standing on top of its head triumphantly.

" **Rath is victorious!"** He bellowed.

That moment made Rath feel powerful as he took a triumphant pose. He had his right leg forward and his arms sideways apart while looking forward with a menacing look for some reason. But all that changed when he heard a sound that caught his immediate attention with a growl.

" **Alright! Who's next?!"** Rath cried out.

The alien hero felt a rush of adrenaline as he said that due to his fight. He didn't know who would dare fight him, and frankly couldn't care to hesitate to think on it. But when his eyes landed at the sight of Aria, quivering scared at him as she took a step back, he frowned.

" **Oh, it's just you."** He said.

Aria said nothing in response. She just stared at Rath with her hands at her chest while her eyes stared in fear at what was before her. The twenty foot Danger Beast from earlier was beaten completely by Rath, who she thought would've been dead by now. But here it was, lying on the ground, with Rath standing on top of it in an expression that she could only describe as terrifying.

So upon seeing the alien hero jumped down from the Danger Beast, Aria took scared steps back. She didn't know what to do other than stare at the hero until something unexpected happen. She lost her footing upon taking another step back, leading to a scream and her sitting on the ground as she clutched her right leg's ankle.

"OW! My ankle!" Aria cried out in pain.

The pain from the ankle was surprising, as well as hurtful. She didn't know if it was broken or something along the line of that. But it did take her attention from Rath until his shadow over her made her look up, followed by a shriek from her.

Rath was looking down at her with his piercing looking green eyes and a scowl that was terrifying to look at. But surprisingly, his attitude then changed to a look of concern before a strange ringing was heard from the hexagon symbol on his chest, which at the same time was flashing. Then, after a flash of green light, Ben Tennyson stood in Rath's place with a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, you okay?" Ben asked.

This surprised Aria a little bit. She hadn't expected anything much from Ben, especially with the sincerity in his voice as he got on one knee. But since she was in pain and angry, she swat his hand when it went for her.

"Does it look like I am?!" Aria retorted. "Just leave me alone, freak!"

The blond had one hand on the pained ankle as she glared angrily at Ben. She didn't like the position she was in nor did she want to offer the other teen a chance of her being weak. It was insulting to her.

However, while Ben would normally help her despite her attitude, he surprisingly stood up and turned his back at her before walking away. "Okay, bye!" He said casually with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and take care of big ol' Chewie. I hear he bites."

At the last part, he gestured to the unconscious Danger Beast.

"You're joking!" Aria shouted back at him. "You wouldn't dare leave me with that thing."

Unfortunately for her, Ben didn't respond back to her. He just dug his hands into his pocket and continued his walk while the girl stared at him and the unconscious Danger Beast with a constant turn of her head. She knew she wouldn't last a second once it wakes up, but at the same time felt she should keep her pride. But after seeing Ben distancing himself further, she finally submitted.

"Wait! Come back!" Aria shouted with a mix of fear and worry."Don't you dare let me die like this…I don't want to die!"

Aria's honesty was probably the best thing Ben had heard from her. He came to a stop before then walking over to her until he stood in front of her. Then, without saying a word, he squat right there with his back at her.

"Alright, let's go." Ben said.

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused. "You want me to climb on your back?"

"Yup." Ben nodded. "Unless you want Chewie to get you, then I –"

"Fine, I'll get on!" Aria retorted.

For some unknown reason, this made her blush. It wasn't known if it was out of embarrassment or something mixed with that as she looked away from him and forced herself to climb on his back. At the same time, Ben made sure to keep her still as she wrapped her arms around his neck while he held her legs to his sides and stood back up.

"See. No problem." Ben commented with a smirk.

"Yeah…whatever" Aria mumbled. Then she said a bit louder. "Just… don't get any perverted ideas, cattle."

Ben sighed in response. "You know, that name is really going to get old."

"Too bad." Aria said sarcastically. She was still blushing due to her position, now confirmed to her to be out of embarrassment. "Now shut up…and let's leave this place."

"Yes, ma'am." Ben joked with a warming smile.

For some reason, he didn't feel annoyed or irritated by Aria. He just secured her legs tighter with his hands before then walking forward without saying a word. However, for the blond, there was something she wanted to say.

' _This is humiliating…'_ Aria thought with an embarrassed look on her face. _'But…I guess I have to say it…'_

"Ben…" She suddenly murmured.

"Hmm?" Ben hummed. He didn't turn his head to her though, since he was still walking.

Aria paused for a bit as she then let out a sigh. She has never been the type to be straightforward unless it was as an order or towards her parents. But since those weren't applied here, she felt a heaviness in her chest before placing her head softly on Ben's back which was still embarrassing to her.

"Don't get used to this…" She said, though rudely. "but thank you…for coming back for me."

"Okay." Ben answered.

"Okay?" Aria questioned. She suddenly felt offended. "I just thanked you. Be grateful."

"Oh, I am." Ben replied sincerely. "I know these days haven't been…the best. We're incompatible in obvious ways. So if you don't mind, I think you should take it easy until we can get help to fix that ankle of yours. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Liar…" Aria muttered. "You left me to go off on my own."

"I guess so…" Ben murmured. But even though Aria was at most fault, he couldn't help but share the blame for it. So, even as he continued walking he didn't deter from his manner then. In fact, he turned to her and smirked."But you're safe now. I'll help you see the truth."

"Truth?" Aria questioned. She thought for a second on what he meant before rebuffing it."Stop sprouting nonsense, cattle."

Ben sighed in response, though a bit rougher. He felt the urge to speak back at her but changed the thought and turned his head forward. They had a long way to go to the village Ben knew of, so he might as well keep going. He could've used Clockwork to fix Aria's ankle, but thought best that the girl could learn something from it even though he was unsure how. As for using any of his fast aliens, there was the problem that she could get nausea from the experience.

So in short, he was stuck with her for the meantime. It didn't mean he mind it too much; he just accepted how things were like this. And though he wasn't sure how this will help him liberate the empire, he knew he'll get to it eventually at one step at a time.

Unbeknownst to him though, his position was being watched by a hidden figure. It hid within the trees, not far from the Danger Beast Rath had beaten, as it watched them Ben walk away with Aria. It had seen everything that transpired in the fight and the transformation that occurred at the end, which in itself was something to be mindful. A teenager with a Teigu to transform was unheard of. But since the teenager and Aria weren't its target, it didn't bother to leave its position until they were completely out of sight.

So once they were gone, the figure revealed itself when it jumped down, revealing herself. She looked similar to Akame from Night Raid but with short hair in a twintail and black eyes. She also wore a black sailor uniform and wears a red belt that has a red side skirt like her sister, as well as red gauntlets like said person. Along with this, she has a katana by her side while wearing black socks and black shoes.

The girl's name was Kurome, the sister of Akame. She looked to her left, precisely the direction Ben and Aria left, before then proceeding to the Danger Beast with her katana radiating a dark aura.

- **LINE BREAK -=====**

 **Here we have it, the end of yet another chapter. What did you think? Please let me know in your review. But before that please read what I have to say till the end.**

 **Now you may be wondering (for those who know Akame Ga Kill anyway) why Kurome made a cameo appearance so soon. Well the reason is because as I was looking up Danger Beasts for Ben to fight, I came across the Apeman and the history behind him which connects with Akame. So I thought to add how she acquired it since it was a 'never before seen' scene for continuity.**

 **So about Rath, I hope you enjoyed his scene. I tried adding him to be as close to his animated version as possible while adding a few things to it. I also didn't like that he speaks Spanish really, so let's say in this fanfiction he speaks English and Spanish even though I'm not sure I'll get him tospeak the latter language. As for his costume, I thought best to exclude the mask, but you can still add it in your head. It doesn't change anything.**

 **Also, it seems my line breaks disappear when I upload a chapter. What the heck is with that? I sure hope it gets fixed soon.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I originally had Night Raid appear from a scene in the manga, but decided to put that in the next chapter you will enjoy for sure. It will have Ben fighting Night Raid!**

 **So I've been thinking heavily on the pairing ever since the last chapter, and I decided to open a poll in my profile based on numerous pairings requested for Ben and others I just decided to add. I decided to do this so I can avoid a harem situation, so please go and have your vote on your pairing. Keep in mind that it is a pairing with Ben and not with Tatsumi or any other male character. So go vote!**

 **So that's about it for now. Thank you so much for your support. Please keep it up by reviewing, favorite and following this fanfiction.**


	4. Membership, Invaders and An Ambush?

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you so much for your support. Your reviews were awesome to read while the favorite and following of this fanfiction was great to see. As for your votes, I have ended the polls and will have the details about it at the end of the chapter so please look forward to it.

Also, I'm very sorry to say this, but the fight between Ben and Night Raid won't happen yet. I know I said that before excitedly, but upon writing this chapter I decided to put that fight till the next chapter. This chapter helps to conclude the chapter two of the manga, so there's some good in this.

Good news, I've decided to keep adapting from the manga. Awesome, right?!

 **Fun Fact: Those in Akame Ga Kill are still speaking Japanese. However, Ben doesn't know this since the Omnitrix is constantly translating their words and his English to them as Japanese.**

So with nothing else to say, on to the chapter.

 **Chapter 4: Membership, Invaders and…An Ambush?**

At the time Ben and Aria were getting used to each other, Ieyasu and Tatsumi had their own thing going on. This happened immediately after Leone took them to the hideout of Night Raid, which was located at the side of a cliff where surprising it hadn't been noticed by anyone else.

So inside the place, the trio went into a room where they found Sheele sitting on a table on her own. She had a book in her hands as she listened to Leone talk while both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were quiet before then speaking.

"Huh, you haven't made up your mind to join yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, Sheele." Leone answered for the two boys. "Shower them with some warm words for me."

Sheele paused as she looked at them a bit spaced out. Her face basically showed how unprepared she was for this, especially as she then let a "mmm" sound before turning to the two boys with the same expression as before.

"In the first place, now that you know the location of our hideout, you'll be killed if you don't become one of us you know?" She just said freely.

"That's so warm it's making me tear up." Tatsumi stated with a visible shudder on his face.

"Yeah…" Ieyasu expressed the same. "What did you just bring me into, Tatsumi."

"What!" Tatsumi shouted, taken aback by his friend's response. It immediately made him turn to him with his finger directed at him. "Don't pin this on me."

"Too late." Ieyasu murmured, looking away.

Just then, Sheele interrupted as she went back to reading her book.

"You should think it over." Sheele stated.

The lady likely said it as a piece of advice from before, like the small bickering between friends were nothing. But now that both Tatsumi and Ieyasu had their eyes on her, they noticed the time of her book and couldn't help but sweat drop. The book was titled **'100 ways to fix airheadedness.'**

"… _So this really is a gathering of weirdoes after all.'_ Both teens thought simultaneously.

However, both of them would immediately find the book and its reader the least of their worries. The reason for this was because of a certain pink haired girl coming into the room.

"HEEEY!" She shouted with a mild tone of annoyance. She also had eyes locked on the two boys as she pointed her finger at them. "Wait a second, Leone! Why are you letting those two into the hideout?!"

"Because they're one of us." Leone answered happily with a wave of her hand.

"They're not one of us yet, are they?!" She yelled.

"Well, technically, I –" Ieyasu tried to speak.

"Who asked you?!" The girl scorned him.

Ieyasu didn't expect such a response as it startled him a bit. To think that such a petite looking girl would have such fire in her mouth was something he never thought he would see. After all, she was below average height with very long pink hair tied in twin-tails on the right and left sides of her head while possessing pink eyes and a pink outfit.

But now that he did, he scowled in a whisper to Tatsumi. "Bitchy much?"

"Besides…" Mine stated with her attention back at Leone. "They haven't gotten the boss's permission either!"

That was true; the boys weren't officially a part of Night Raid. Leone knew this from the start, but felt positive about them joining despite Mine's objection. But before anyone could say anything, she swiftly turned her head at Tatsumi with a dark looking glare before making eye contact with him in silence with the teen doing the same. Then, she folded her arms across her chest and turned sideways at him without any indication.

"Not qualified." Mine immediately determined. "It doesn't seem like he'll be able to work with professionals like us at all…from looking at his face."

"What!" Tatsumi expressed in shock. His face showed it all as he was taken aback by her action.

Meanwhile, Ieyasu laughed so hard that he held his stomach. "Better luck next time, Tatsumi!"

"You're no better!" Mine shouted back.

Ieyasu froze in shock as he felt the blow from Mine's response. He immediately knew how his best friend felt as the same expression as him came over him as both of them stared at the girl before letting out an outburst.

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU LITTLE PUNK?!"

Leone giggled in response to this. It had only been a few minutes and already Mine had gotten on their nerves. But she didn't find this as a problem as she played it coolly at the two. "Don't worry about it. Mine's like that to everyone." She said.

"Hmph!" Mine responded.

So after that exchange with the pink haired stuck-up, Leone led them to another side of the hideout. It was a relief to the two boys as both boys couldn't stand being around that girl any longer than she felt the same towards them. Besides, they soon began hearing someone shouting as they approached an opened area which was followed by an unfamiliar person.

"This is the stress release area called the training grounds." Leone introduced. Then she pointed at the person training.

From the looks of it, the person present was working out with a spear which he swung rapidly fast in such a pace that it was amazing to watch. So while Leone continued to speak, Tatsumi and Ieyasu stared at the guy in awe.

"And over there…" She said. "The one who clearly looks like he reeks of sweat is Bulat."

" _Amazing…"_ Tatsumi thought in awe. _"What spear-handling."_

" _Woah…I never knew a spear could be so awesome."_ Ieyasu thought.

The man named Bulat didn't seem to notice them as he continued his training though. His abs could be seen very visibly as sweat was about all over his body packs while he continued crying out loud from the feel of the exercise. Then when he came to a stop, he took a white towel and cleaned the sweat off before placing it over his shoulder and turning to the direction of Leone and the others.

"Ah, hey it's Leone." He said with a voice of satisfaction. "And those two boys are…those two from before."

"Huh?" Ieyasu was confused. The same was felt with Tatsumi.

"How do you know us?" Tatsumi asked.

Bulat seemed a bit surprised to hear this. But when he gave it a second's thought, he realized why. "Hm? So this is the first time the both of you are seeing me like this?" He asked, though sound rhetorical. "I'm the guy that was covered in armor the first time we met."

And that's when it made sense to the two boys. The person he referred to in armor, himself, was something Tatsumi only experienced the night after he was taken by Night Raid. So while he expressed a bit of shock, Ieyasu was confused as he tilted his head a bit and scratched his head.

"Sorry, but I don't remember –"

"Of course you don't." Leone suddenly interjected. She placed her arm around the boy immediately after before then drawing him closer."You were still unconscious in that shed before I went back to get you, so you never met any of the other members that night."

"She's right." Tatsumi agreed.

Just then, the brown haired teen went over to Bulat and locked into a handshake with him.

"It's Bulat, nice to meet you." Bulat introduced himself.

As the older man among them, he was a tall and muscular man with blue eyes and black hair combed into a heart-shaped pompadour while at the moment wearing no shirt.

"H-Hi!" Tatsumi responded nervously.

"Hey…I'm Ieyasu."

The black haired teen said with a wave of his hand as he felt a bit nervous when he approached Bulat. He was about to raise his hand, but came to a stop when Leone came to him and Tatsumi with a teasing smile on her face.

"Be careful, he's gay." She said.

And so with that was the expected response by the two boys. Ieyasu took a step back while Tatsumi looked sacredly stunned as he stared at Bulat, who smiled at him with a little blush on his cheeks while still looking down at the boy.

"Hey, hey. He'd misunderstand, right?" He said in response to Leone.

However, it didn't help his case either way. Tatsumi just looked a bit scared than before as he eyed the guy with an inner plea. _'Deny it for me please!"_ Tatsumi thought nervously.

Somewhere a bit far from the hideout, a single man stood by the edge of a cliff with a perverted intention in mind. It wasn't too bad, depending on who a person asks, as he lay down while crawling to the edge until he stood up to see a pond below with a perverted grin on his face.

"It's almost Leone's bath time." He stated with his breathe pouring out of his mouth. "I won't think twice about the danger if it's to see those breasts."

So that was his aim for being at the cliff. The blond busty woman he was speaking about was always a looker no matter how any straight man would try to deny it. But there was one problem with his plan. Leone was right behind him.

"Then how about I break two fingers." The busty blond said without haste. She also immediately struck him at the back, causing him to scream and fall to the ground on his front. Then, before he knew it, she had her leg on his back and his left hand painfully upwards as she put a bit more pressure on both. "You never learn, Lubbock." She said.

"Fuck it! I can still go on!" Lubbock shouted determinedly. But he was also in agonizing pain.

"Then it's one arm next." Leone added.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Ieyasu stood a bit stunned with uncertain looks on their faces. They didn't know what else to say about this, nor could they bother to do about it. But whether Leone noticed this was left unknown as she turned to them, still restraining the young man.

"And so…" She said. "This idiot is Lubbock."

Lubbock was someone with shoulder-length green hair, green eyes and red goggles on top of his head. He wore a long green jacket with a fur trimmed hood over a white and red ringer shirt and blue jeans with brown shoes.

So as time went on, nighttime soon arrived over everyone. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were now walking next to Leone with exhausted looks on their faces and their upper body tiredly forward. It was obvious to both teens that, in their own sense, had seen enough of the Night Raid members and wanted to end it. But while none of them said this before, Tatsumi openly admitted it sluggishly.

"I think we've had enough already…"

"I'm with Tatsumi."Ieyasu said in agreement.

However, Leone didn't like to hear about it. In fact, she just laughed as she held both her hands behind her back while looking ever so cheerful."Come on. It's a pretty girl next, so look forward to that."

"A pretty girl?" Ieyasu said, bringing his head upwards.

"Mhm." Leone nodded.

Ieyasu's attention had been gained upon the mention of this as already he tried to picture who this girl was. However, the same couldn't be said about Tatsumi, who just stared at his friend with disappointment. _'Don't get excited, idiot.'_ He thought.

But there was no stopping it now. Ieyasu seemed more eager as he smiled gleefully next to Leone while Tatsumi looked down as he followed both of them from behind. It wasn't long after that both began to perceive something in the air, with Ieyasu shouting out in a mixed feeling of awe and shock.

"WOAH!"

Ieyasu had his eyes widened as he took in what he was seeing. A girl with long black hair was sitting before a fire which had the head of a known dangerous Danger Beast suspended in the air by a long stick through it, held by two poles at both sides of the fire. But now that Ieyasu was sure he wasn't dreaming, he just stood there with a freaked out look as he continued staring. At the same time, Leone just happily pointed at the girl before the fire.

"See. The one over there is Akame. Isn't she cute?" Leone introduced.

And now it was Tatsumi's turn to be stunned. He didn't share the same stuttering position like his friend though, as he was taken aback at the sight of the the cooked up Danger Beast and Akame turning sideways at them.

" _How!"_ He asked.

But fortunately he snapped out of the daze, better than his friend, before immediately asking a question on his mind.

"Is that an Evilbird she's eating there?"

"I…was about to ask that."Ieyasu stated. He seemed to come out of his own daze as he accepted what he was seeing. But he also seemed drained as he spoke again. "I heard those things destroy villages…but did she kill it or…?"

"Yeah." Leone answered with a chirpy smile. "Akame may look like that, but she grew up in the forest."

"Oh…" Ieyasu paused, a bit fazed by this. He turned over to Tatsumi and gave him a worried expression and a thumbs up. "No worries…this can still work out."

"What are you talking about?" Tatsumi asked, glaring at him.

However, before any of them could say anything, Akame interjected. She didn't mean it towards the two boys though, as she threw a piece of meat at Leone. "You should eat too, Leone." She said.

"Oh thanks." Leone said back. She opened her hands for the coming meat, before allowing it to land on her palms and chewing on it.

Then she turned towards Tatsumi and Ieyasu with a numb expression. It wasn't to say she had anything against them though, as there was a thought in her mind when it came to them. So while she had another big piece of meat in her hand, she precisely turned to Tatsumi.

"Have you decided to become one of us?" She asked with a monotone voice.

"No." Tatsumi simply answered.

"Then I can't give you this meat." She stated directly.

Tatsumi was stunned to hear this in response. _'I don't want any.'_ He thought back in response.

Just then, the black haired girl turned her attention at Ieyasu. "You." Akame said. "Have you decided to join us?"

"Uh…yeah, but…" Ieyasu answered, startled. But before he could what he was saying, Akame had made up her mind.

"Then I can give you this meat." She said immediately. This was followed with her throwing the meat at the boy, who in the moment startled caught it before glancing at it with a decided tone. Then before Tatsumi could even think of what to say, he took a bit on it and was sucked into a moment of food pleasure.

For an unknown reason, the meat tasted so good in Ieyasu's mouth. He could taste the ingredient placed in the meat wash over his mouth like a wave as it took him into a delighted moment of his life while washing away all his worries into nothingness. In fact, it tasted so good that a wide pleasured grin was on his face as he eagerly chewed on the meat even though his friend was watching.

"Tatsumi, this taste so good." Ieyasu sang the words.

' _I…rather not…'_ Tatsumi thought in his defense. He didn't know for sure to be stunned by his friend's expression or just ignore it. So instead he turned to Akame with skepticism. _'I guess the meat isn't deadly…but…this girl tried to kill me twice. I don't like her.'_

"But still…"Leone suddenly spoke up, this time to Akame. "Aren't you being extravagant today?"

Leone's question was for a reason due to Akame's behavior before her. She knew the girl very well for a long time and so in that moment wanted to know what was with her. But whether Akame thought about this was unknown as she turned to another direction with her eyes at a familiar person.

"The boss is back." She announced.

True to her words, the boss she mentioned was sitting not far from them. She was a woman with short silver hair and purple eyes, though wearing an eye patch at her right eye. She also wore a black suit that shows her cleavage and a mechanical right arm as her arm.

"Yo." The boss greeted with a wave of her normal hand.

"Boss!" Leone exclaimed joyfully. She seemed so happy to see her superior as even her presence led her to forget what she asked Akame before raising her hand gleefully at her. "Welcome back, boss. Do you have any souvenirs?" She asked.

"I'm putting that aside, Leone." The boss said calmly. Her reason for doing so was unknown as everyone else watched. But when she moved her mechanical arm, something seemed off as a mild menacing look came over her face as she continued. "In the job three days ago, it seems you went over the mission time, eh?"

Leone suddenly tensed upon hearing this. She knew what the boss meant as her expression earlier dropped to a nervous smile, following by the boss now looking more intimidating.

' _Not good.'_ She thought nervously.

Suddenly, before anyone could say a word, Leone turned around and began to run. Her action surprised Tatsumi and Ieyasu as the lady was off already, only for the boss to send her right hand flying forward at the busty blond with a rope attached to the rest of the arm, surprising the two even more, before it grabbed her and tightened its fingers on her shoulder, causing her to come to a stop.

"It's no good to enjoy fighting with a strong enemy too much…Do something to fix that habit of yours." The boss instructed.

"I got it, so stop that screeching sound!" Leone shouted in pain.

The boss complied with this in response. She released her hold on Leone before turning her attention to both Tatsumi and Ieyasu, now acknowledging their existence. "By the way, who are those young boys?" She asked.

"Oh." Leone said and turned back. She immediately that cheerful smile on her face as she went over to Tatsumi and Ieyasu and forced both to hit each other's side with her breasts pressing on their back before smiling at the boss. "That's right!" She exclaimed. "Boss, I recommend these guys!"

"Hey, would you stop that!" Both boys yelled at Leone.

However, their words didn't seem to matter. In fact, the boss seemed focused on what Leone said as she then spoke. "Do they show promise?" She asked.

"He does." Leone answered and patted Tatsumi's shoulder. "As for this guy…"She paused and patted his shoulder. "He believes he's up for it. But anyway, just give them a try."

"Hey, hold up!" Ieyasu suddenly shouted.

The two boys felt a bit panicked at the moment as they were unsure of what was going on. Leone was basically speaking for them while they were silent on everything else at the moment. But as they broke free of Leone's grip, they faced everyone with that same expression.

"Is this a part-time job?!" Tatsumi asked.

"Is the pay good?!" Ieyasu asked.

"The wage is high." Akame answered.

"What, really?!" Ieyasu questioned, a bit surprised.

"But is this a part-time job?!" Tatsumi asked again.

However, no one seemed to answer his question even though it was so easy. The boss noticed his expression afterwards but paid no response to it as she slung her jacket over her shoulder.

"Akame, gather everyone in the meeting room." The woman instructed immediately. "I want to hear the results of the previous mission in detail, including the two boys."

Akame listened with full attention and nodded.

Some minutes after that event, everyone was gathered in the meeting room in the hideout. The boss sat a hood-looking chair by the wall while every member of Night Raid stood before her and around Tatsumi and Ieyasu, both of whom were before her.

For the pastime, the boss listened to Akame narrate the mission that involved Tatsumi, Ieyasu and their former friend. But before getting to the mysterious teenager, Akame narrated how they disposed of the guards and Aria's parents in detail until getting to what she knew would get the boss's attention; the young man named Ben.

Not surprising, this got the boss's very intrigued with the same going for the rest of Night Raid. They listened as Akame explained everything that happened with the boy's intervention, from him assisting Tatsumi and fighting Akame to the part where he took the rich girl and left, before the boss chose to speak.

"I see." She said in thought. "The mission was incomplete then."

"It appears so." Akame replied.

"I understand." The boss said back calmly.

From what she had been told, she couldn't blame them. The young man known as Ben could not only transform into unknown creatures but he took on Akame, revived Ieyasu and kept Leone, Tatsumi and Akame from killing the rich girl. And though they could've fought him, there was the matter of timing which would've been worse if they prolonged it just to get the rich girl. But there was still more she needed to know.

"Tatsumi…" She called the brown haired teen. "How long have you known him?"

"More than two weeks now…" Tatsumi answered, though he sounded a bit sad. "We met him back in the village Ieyasu and I came from."

"So you have no prior knowledge about him." The boss concluded.

"Yes…" Tatsumi admitted. "My friends and I were suspicious about him, but he saved…my friend back then so it was fine."

"Interesting." The boss commented. Then she turned to Ieyasu. "Tell me, how do you feel about everything that transpired?"

"I'm…not sure." Ieyasu admitted. He had his head casted down as he then tightened his fist while speaking again. "I feel better than before…but Ben…he crossed the line saving that girl."

"Is that so?" The boss asked, feeling a bit intrigued to hear this. "So if you were to meet the girl what will you do?"

"I'll kill her."Ieyasu stated almost immediately. The emotion he held towards that subject revealed itself as he looked up at the boss with determination. "I'll take her down no matter what! She tortured Sayo and I and killed her! The least I can do is to kill her!"

"Ieyasu…" Tatsumi muttered.

It was no secret between the two boys that they held a grudge against Aria. She had not only killed many people but took away the life of one of their friends and splitting them from the other friend because he wanted to save her from them. But when it came to the need to kill her, Ieyasu seemed more resolved to do it without a single thought of hesitation.

"I see." The boss said, taking in the thought.

The determination for vengeance was something the boss was used to seeing from her time of experience. As such, she knew its potential as well as the danger of it if not properly used as it could lead to one's own death. So with nothing else to say, she looked over to Tatsumi and said. "I understand the situation completely. Tatsumi, would you like to join Night Raid?"

"I'm dead if I decline, right?" Tatsumi asked. He felt a bit worried about the idea since it meant he would have to be forced into the group. As for Ieyasu, he turned to his friend with concern.

"No, that's not going to happen."The boss assured them. "But we can't let you go back. Your friend has accepted to join Night Raid, so if you don't wish to be a part of us we'll have you work as a laborer in our workshop. At any rate, you won't die even if you decline. Given that...what do you think?

The decision now rested on Tatsumi's shoulders as it would affect his future. Unlike his friend, he didn't want to jump into the world of assassins just before his dream to save his village was now seemingly in shatters now that he knew the truth about the Imperial Capital. So it came as no surprise that he tightened his fist while having a look of uncertainty.

"I…was planning to go out to the Capital and become successful to save my village from poverty but even the Imperial Capital is rotting."

Just then, Bulat decided to respond to that from his position. He didn't rush it though, as he was presently laid back on the wall with one leg at it and his arms crossed while wearing a black leather jacket on top of a green armor and white pants.

"The countryside's poor and suffering because the center's rotten. Don't' you want to uproot the source of the rot as a man?" He asked. This was then followed with a quick smirk at the two boys.

But it seemed it wasn't Tatsumi or Ieyasu's time to speak again. The reason for it was being the boss, who took that chance to lean forward at them as she explained. "Bulat was originally a skilled Imperial soldier. But he learned of the Empire's corruption and became one of us."

"After all…" Bulat continued from there. "Our work is to eliminate the evildoers in the Capital. It's much better than working under those rotten people."

"Yeah…but…" Tatsumi said. He had a sense of what the group did was right, but was also uncertain about the overall. "Even if you just kill guys little by little, the world won't change greatly, will it? In the end, places in remote regions like my village won't be saved by that."

"I see." The boss replied. She inwardly and openly liked the teenager's open thought as it sounded perfectly to her. Hence, she went forward with her thought and said. "Then Night Raid fits you even more perfectly."

"How come?" Tatsumi asked, surprised to hear this. The same feeling was with his friend as he wondered.

Fortunately, the boss continued as she extended her hand. "Far south of the Capital, there's the hideout of an anti-Imperial force, the Revolutionary Army."

"Revolutionary Army?" Tatsumi and Ieyasu questioned simultaneously.

"Yes." The boss continued. "The Revolutionary Army, which started out small, had grown into a large scale organization by now. Then, inevitably, a unit to handle covert jobs such as assassination and information gathering was created. That's us, **Night Raid.** "

Tatsumi and Ieyasu felt a bit tensed upon hearing this information. It was very new to them, just like their knowledge of the Imperial Capital had been, as it not only distant what they used to think but what they used to know. But whether this was unknown to the boss was left unknown as she continued.

"Right now we're exterminating the Capital's ticks. But in the event that the army takes action, we'll take advantage of the confusion, and the Prime Minister, who is the cause of the corruption, we'll take him out ourselves."

At the last part, the woman clutched her fist to emphasis what she meant. She also seemed strong about this idea as not only did she pause with that end but she stared at Tatsumi and Ieyasu, who were both stunned in shock at what they were hearing.

"Take out…" Tatsumi muttered, surprised.

"The Prime Minister…?!"Ieyasu added, feeling the same.

"That's our goal." The boss said calmly. "There are others, but I'll leave them for now." Just then, she cracked a smile. "Although I can't say anything specific about when they'll rise to action, we've prepared a plan to win. So when that time comes, this country will change for sure."

This new information was more elaborate than Tatsumi and Ieyasu would've ever thought. The boss had concluded everything she intended to leave before staring at the two as were at pause likely taking everything they were told. It was understandable; the information was much to swallow. But fortunately, both were able to handle it as Ieyasu broke the silence.

"In this new country…will people be treated fairly?" He asked.

"Of course." The boss answered.

"That's great." Tatsumi said. He liked the idea of it as wide smirk appeared on his face. "So the killing you're doing now is just targeting bad guys to clean out the trash."

"Yeah!" Ieyasu exclaimed excitedly. He had his fist pumped into the air as he then continued. "That's like being assassins for justice!"

However, the response didn't go well like both boys would've expected. The entire room was silent before everyone besides the boss and Akame burst out laughing, much to the confusion and anger of the two as they looked around them.

"What's this?!" Tatsumi questioned.

"What's so funny?!" Ieyasu asked.

"Tatsumi, Ieyasu." Leone suddenly called them. "No matter how much you dress it up, what we're doing is murder. Your ex-friend probably saw that when we first met."

"There's no way there's any justice in that." Sheele added.

"Every person here could receive their retribution and die at any moment." Bulat added.

Ieyasu gulped down his spit in response to this. _'Damn…I really didn't think this thing through. But still…'_ He paused and turned back to the boss and then at Tatsumi. _'I'll stay in if he joins.'_

Just then, the boss took that time to speak. "Each person has his own reason for fighting, but they're all prepared. Will your opinion still stay the same?"

"Will we get rewarded?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yeah." The boss answered honestly. "If you work properly, you'll probably be able to save a hometown or thereabout."

"Then I'll do it!" Tatsumi stated determinedly. "Let me join Night Raid! If it's a big goal like that, Sayo would have done the same, right Ieyasu?"

"Yes!" Ieyasu nodded, seemingly determined. The doubt he felt before felt instantly swept away as he now had an actual reason to join Night Raid besides Leone's 'persuasion'.

But that wasn't to say it all ended there just like that. The reason being Mine, who took that chance to speak from her position.

"You might be unable to freely return to your village though." She told them subtly.

"That's fine." Ieyasu acknowledged already. "We were willing to save the village in any way possible, so why stop now?"

"Yeah." Tatsumi nodded and smiled at his friend. "As long as everyone in the village can be happy, then we're good."

"Hmph." Mine said back.

"Then it's decided." The boss suddenly spoke up. She extended her hand forward at Tatsumi and Ieyasu, though not as a handshake, as she continued. "Welcome to the path of carnage, Tatsumi and Ieyasu."

Suddenly, something alarmingly got everyone's attention. It started from a device on Lubbock's backhand as the small wheels on it began to spin rapidly before he them turned to the boss with a look of urgency.

"Intruders! Najenda-san!" He shouted.

The outburst of the guy was more than audible enough for everyone to hear. It shifted all focus from before as even the boss aka Najenda looked seriously as she asked. "What're their numbers and locations?"

"According to their reactions from my barrier, it's probably eight people!" He reported."They've infiltrated close to the hideout."

"They're good."Najenda commented. "To sniff out this place means they're probably mercenaries of another race."

The woman was quick to conclude that immediate report as she looked at all her subordinates with a straight look. This was then followed with her using a lighter to start up her cigarette in her mouth before taking charge.

"There's no other way. It's an emergency sortie. **Don't let any of them return alive.** " The woman instantly ordered.

With those words, everything completely changed from the way it was. The members of Night Raid had cold looking expressions on their faces and bodies as each member took in their boss's order without a single doubt. It was even so noticeable that even Tatsumi and Ieyasu felt the intensity as a shudder went down their spine.

' _The atmosphere suddenly changed!'_ Tatsumi took notice.

" **Go!** " Najenda ordered.

That word of hers appeared to carry authority as it immediately made every member of Night Raid to rush out. However, the same couldn't be said for both Tatsumi and Ieyasu, who just stared at the speed everyone else left until both felt a hard pat on their backs.

"What're both of you spacing out for?" Najenda asked, revealing to be standing behind them. She had a cocky grin on her face as the cigarette in her mouth seemed ever so present. "It's your first battle. Go eliminate them."

An order was an order as long as it was given by the one in charge. It was something Tatsumi and Ieyasu were able to recognize as both rushed out with their own distinct weapons before drawing close to a familiar person who also was running through the forest.

"Bulat-san!" Tatsumi called out.

True to their eyes, the person turned out to be Bulat who was doing the running. It was unknown though, on how long he had been at it as he looked back and smiled when the two boys were able to catch up with him.

"Oh, Tatsumi, Ieyasu." He said back at them. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes!" Both answered simultaneously.

"Good. Also call me bro or handsome."

"Okay, bro." Tatsumi said back.

"Sure thing, bro." Ieyasu said as well.

"Yes! Feels great!' Bulat exclaimed with a wide grin. For some reason, hearing those words seemed to excite the man as he continued running before skidding his feet to a stop, sideways at Tatsumi and Ieyasu. "As a reward, I'll show both of you something cool. Stand back a bit!"

Both boys did as told as they immediately came to a stop. They didn't know what the young man had in store for them as he placed a knee on the ground, followed by his hand. But it immediately became revealed as a strong presence was upon him before he then shouted. " **INCURSIOOOOOOO!** "

Suddenly, the man was engulfed in a silver armor which appeared behind him and it opened before taking him in. It covered his arms, legs, head, chest and just about everywhere as both Tatsumi and Ieyasu watched as it all happened before them until the change was complete. Now instead of the normal man they once saw, both saw man in a silver armor with a cape and yellow eyes.

"WHOOOA!" Both boys exclaimed excitedly.

"That's awesome!" Tatsumi exclaimed again.

"Yeah! That's kind of like Ben!" Ieyasu exclaimed as well.

"Oh, is that so?" Bulat asked, seemingly intrigued. "He sounds like a handsome fellow. Maybe I can meet him sometime."

"Yeah…maybe." Ieyasu murmured. "He has the habit of shouting 'it's hero time' though."

"Huh?" Bulat questioned and titled his head.

"Yeah, I didn't get it either." Ieyasu said and shrugged his shoulders.

"I see." Bulat said. He thought about for a second what the teenager meant by that before knocking his fist at his armor's chest with a proud voice. "This is the Teigu, Incursio!"

"Teigu?" Both boys questioned. They didn't know what that meant since this is the first time they're hearing it. However, both boys also didn't seem to care as they felt very excited about the armor's appearance.

"I don't really get it, but it's getting me pumped up!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"Me too!" Ieyasu seconded.

"So you understand what's so good about this!" Bulat stated. He liked the boys' enthusiasm as it seemed to make things easier for both of them. So with that, he pointed at them with his index finger while his other hand was at his hip. "Alright! Now I'll tell you both your first job. It's important alright?"

Tatsumi and Ieyasu nodded in unison upon hearing this. They knew to put their trusts on the man as he seemed certain on what he had to do.

Meanwhile, at a riverside, another member of Night Raid was busy. She stood before three intruders, all whom had their chests and stomachs in the open as they smirked wickedly at her, the well-known Akame. Two out of the three had head covers that covered their necks and top heads while the other wore only a scarf around his neck and white pants like the other two.

"The fact that she's here means their hideout is somewhere around here." said one of the intruders. "It was worth searching steadily."

"Still, what a cute girl." said the biggest among them.

"Then it looks like we can still have some fun after we kill her." Another of them stated. "Don't damage her body too..."

Unfortunately for him, he didn't get to finish those words slyly. The reason for that was Akame, who seemed unfazed as she ran through them in unseen speed that she slashed at them with her katana and stood behind them with her back at them.

"…much." The invader finished saying.

All three men found themselves immediately stunned as they felt the outcome of their attack. The girl had slashed against their throats in such blinding speed that there was little time to respond. So while they stood stunned, she still seemed unfazed.

"You guys are too relaxed in enemy territory." Akame said in her monotone voice.

"How could that…" One of them gasped. He could feel his neck open as blood came gushing out.

"She's too fast…" said the other as he felt the same thing like his comrade.

And so, with nothing stopping the evitable, both men fell to the ground dead. The third guy who stood could still feel the blood gushing out as panic took over while he covered the bleeding with one hand.

"Shit!' He cursed out loud. The look of terror, anger and fear was in his eyes as he drew out his sword before charging at Akame. "I'll at least take her down with…me?!"

Unfortunately for him, his goal wasn't achieved. It wasn't because of the injury but his heart suddenly tightening as every part of his body felt numb. This was also obvious as a trickle of black went down his neck to every part of his body before he suddenly realized why.

"A curse from the wound…?" He wondered in his final minutes."Poison?!"

However, he never got the answers that he may have wished for. The poison in his blood took over before he slumped to the ground, dead like his comrades. As for Akame, she sheathed her katana before turning halfway at the dead bodies.

"One slash, one certain kill." She stated calmly.

At another part of the forest, another invader could be seen running through a path. He was dressed like his comrades that Akame killed, as he ran as fast he could with his upper body forward and a huge smile on his face.

' _The enemy detected our infiltration. But it's certain the hideout is here!'_ He thought deviously to himself. _'Even this information by itself has immense value! I'll survive and report it to our client, the empire.'_

However, unknown to him, another member of Night Raid had him targeted. The only difference from her friend though, was the fact that she was by a cliff with a huge rifle-like weapon in her hands and an eye piece placed by her left eye that allowed her to see far away.

"He's running very fast." Mine said as she watched him. "I'll have to expose myself like this to be able to hit him."

Suddenly, another invader jumped out of the bush behind her with his sword out. He had a huge grin on his face as he looked forward to slashing his weapon down on the seemingly defenseless member of Night Raid before she could react. But before he could land the kill, Sheele emerged out of seemingly nowhere and clipped her scissors through his torso.

"I'm sorry." Sheele said with no empathy.

"Thanks, Sheele." Mine smiled as she looked back. She could already feel her gun powering up as energy began to fume out of its opening before she turned back forward with a grin on her face. "Nice Pinch. I'll reach just fine with this risk." She commented.

By this point, her weapon was seemingly at full power as she took aim at her target again before letting out a huge energy blast. It went all the way from her position, destroying any tree in its way and vaporizing the invader into nothing just as he had a brief second to see what was coming at him. Then, with a satisfied sigh, Mine slung her weapon over her shoulder with a grin on her face.

"Alright, right on target." She commented."The more of a pinch I'm in, the stronger I get."

Meanwhile, Leone's animal ear perked up as it caught the sound of Mine's weapon going off in the distance. It wasn't a bother to the busty blond though, as she was presently in her animal form which consisted of longer hair, animal ears and teeth, and a tail while she was presently sitting on the dead body of an invader she killed.

"Oh, that was Mine's Pumpkin just now." She said out of thought. "I can't believe she uses such a bothersome Teigu."

Just then she smirked. "As for me, I turn into a beast and beat them to death. Easy to understand."

Meanwhile, in a cave, another member of Night Raid was busy with an invader. The only difference in this though was the fact that it was a girl, currently suspended in the air with her arms up as Lubbock's threads kept her restrained. And from the looks of it, she seemed to be in pain as she could feel the threads digging lightly into her skin.

"Huh, I thought the weight of threads felt light. But it was a girl." Lubbock commented lightly.

Presently, the green haired teenager stood before the invader who was caught in his trap with no way to escape. He also had a bunch of the threads in his hands which he then pulled on, causing the girl more pain.

"Save me please!" The girl cried out. "I'll do anything!"

"Nooope." Lubbock immediately refused. He had a serious look on his face as he said this before pulling on the threads to cut right through her. "I knew a guy who died by getting tricked by seduction."

So with that, the girl's screams echoed through the cave as the threads ripped through her skin. It was sickening to say the least, but nothing that could've been prevented especially after Lubbock released her as he turned back. But before walking away, he looked sideways at her dismembered peaceful body and noticed her beauty before walking out frustrated.

"Ah! What a waste!" He exclaimed loudly. "It's such a painful occupation in times like these!"

Back at Tatsumi and Ieyasu, both boys were in a predicament of their own. But it wasn't as badass as the rest of Night Raid was dealing with the intruders. In fact, they were in what they could likely describe as the most boring moment of their lives.

Sometime had passed since they last met Bulat as they were now in another part of the forest. It was quiet and in total normal looking as no sign of an intruder could be seen from their hiding spot. But what was this spot? It was nothing special at all or anything close to that. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were just lying on the ground between two small plants with bored looks on their faces. There was at first a little rustle in the bush though, but when the source of it popped to reveal itself to be a rabbit, both boys couldn't help but feel dejected.

' _A rabbit.'_ Both boys thought in unison. But with that came the instructions Bulat told them before.

' _Listen…'_ Bulat had instructed them. _'If the enemy were to run away, there's a large possibility they'll come through here. Even slowing them down's okay. Just somehow fight back.'_

But from the looks of it, the two teenagers won't be getting much. Some unknown amount of minutes had passed and already nothing had happened.

"Why do I get the feeling Bulat just kept us on the sidelines…" Ieyasu murmured.

"Bro wouldn't do that." Tatsumi said back. But now that he thought about it, he felt some doubt. "He wouldn't…right?"

"Heck, do I know." Ieyasu replied with an uninterested tone. "All I know is that we just landed a newbie role."

Tatsumi sighed in response to this. As much as he hated to admit it, that thought was on his mind. "Yeah…" He agreed. "I'm beginning to think the enemy –"

However, he didn't get to finish what he had to say. The reason for that was because of an intruder, dressed in the same way as his dead comrades, jumping out of the bushes before them. He had a wolf head for a head though, and a huge body as he instantly gained both Tatsumi and Ieyasu's attention before they stood before him with their distinct weapon out. Tatsumi had his sword while his friend had his axe in his hands as well.

"So they even stationed two boys here." The intruder said, sounding not surprised.

"We can't let you pass!" Tatsumi stated boldly. He stood in a fighting stance with his sword gripped tightly as he glared at the enemy determinedly. The same was done by his friend, who nodded in agreement as he too had his eyes on the intruder.

' _I have to kill someone I have no resentment against.'_ Tatsumi thought in an observing manner. _'But if I hesitate here…I'll die. Good thing I have Ieyasu with me.'_

' _So this is it…'_ Ieyasu thought as well. _'I have to kill someone I have nothing against. But if I get through this…killing Aria would be a piece of cake. I'll avenge Sayo no matter what.'_

From the looks of it, an inevitable fight was about to take place between the teenage boys and the intruder. The guy was big and intimidating as he looked cruelly at them before drawing out his sword without hesitation. "Even though you're boys, I won't hold back." He said instantly.

Both Ieyasu and Tatsumi tensed as they understood what he meant. It wasn't to say they were scared or worried. It just meant they were determined to fight.

So while Tatsumi and Ieyasu were ready for the fight, two Night Raid members were on their own in another area of the forest. Most of the invaders had been eliminated so there was nothing much for them to do. That was obvious as Mine walked across a big abandoned log on the ground with her hands spread out while Sheele stood by watching.

"I wonder if those newcomers died." Mine said freely as she minded what she was doing.

"I think it won't be a problem." Sheele replied.

In response, this surprised Mine a bit as she looked over at her friend."It's rare for you to evaluate someone, Sheele." She said.

"He fought Akame and survived." Sheele added.

"Well that's true." Mine admitted as she sat down on the log.

"Besides…" Sheele continued. "According to Akame, he crossed swords with her."

At that same time, Ieyasu and Tatsumi went into action against the intruder. Ieyasu took the first lead as he let out a loud cry and clashed his against intruder's sword before turning to his friend, who was right behind him.

"Now, Tatsumi!" He shouted.

"Yes!" Tatsumi nodded firmly.

From the current looks of it, both boys had the upper hand against the intruder. Ieyasu let out a loud voice as he used his axe to push the enemy back by his sword before moving aside for Tatsumi to strike. Then, in full view, he watched as Tatsumi swung up across the enemy's chest, causing blood to shoot out of his body.

At the same time, Sheele concluded her observation from Akame by saying. **"If Ieyasu is as qualified as Tatsumi, both of them are a cluster of potential. If they keep training, they have the capacity to become general-class."**

So with that strike, the enemy fell on his back with a cry of pain. Tatsumi gritted his teeth much as his friend went to his friend, looking as serious as him.

"How's that…" Tatsumi said strongly."With Sayo…and Ieyasu…The three of us…"

"These are the moves we built!" Ieyasu finished with a loud voice.

Both boys had their weapons gripped with both arms as they stated this directly at the fallen enemy. He was still alive though, but at a disadvantage as he was on the ground with a frightened expression on his face.

"Please I beg you! Let me go! If I die, my village-"

Tatsumi snapped in shock and confusion upon hearing this.

' _The guy's also fighting for his hometown.'_ Tatsumi thought. _'But –'_

For the moment, Tatsumi was unsure of his action next as the invaders words sank in. But at the same time, he failed to notice the invader reach for sword on the ground until it was almost too late. The invader had fought back against his wound as he sprung back on his feet with his sword ready to strike Tatsumi before letting out a gloat.

"HAHAHA! YOU'RE NAÏVE, YOUNG BOY! I'LL HAVE YOU DIE FOR MY CLAN!"

However, before he could end Tatsumi's life, something sharp struck him in the torso in full force. It wasn't Tatsumi and neither was it Akame, who landed a few feet behind the invader. No, it was Ieyasu with a pissed off look on his face.

"LIKE HELL I'LL LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT!" Ieyasu shouted in rage.

The force of the axe was strong as it not only surprised the invader but stoned in against the ground with the torso bleeding as a large cut was present. The only major difference from before was the fact that he was weak and dying as he was losing more blood.

"I-I'm sorry." The invader said in an attempt for his life. He knew then that he couldn't win as even reaching his hand out was a problem. "I beg you to have –"

"Mercy?" Ieyasu questioned. "Sorry, but I'm all out of that."

"Ieyasu." Tatsumi whispered.

The teen didn't know what to make of his friend then other than the fact that he was scary. He didn't have that playful look or determined expression in the start of the fight. No, he just had a dark scary expression that spelt murderer as he looked down on the invader with no sympathy.

"I've seen it all before." Ieyasu said with a dark tone. "You bring out sweet thoughts…try to make us feel safe. But when the time is right…turn against them without an ounce of sympathy. But do you know what's worse of all…you tried to kill my friend…You tried to take away another person close to me. So don't give me crap about mercy…You lost that the moment you met me."

The invader was scared and fearful to hear this. The teenager that had fended him off looked completely different from the person before, even to the point that he was ignoring more of his pleas. So it goes without saying that Ieyasu held his axe up and struck it down on the invader's neck, killing him instantly and spilling his axe with blood.

"You killed him." Akame said in her monotone voice. She had seen everything before her observant eyes as it revealed a certain difference between Ieyasu and Tatsumi. Hence, she went over to Ieyasu, who pulled his axe out of the invader's throat, before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Good job. Next time deliver the kill immediately" She said. Then she turned to Tatsumi. "Take your friend's action as a lesson. Don't waver. You should land the killing blow promptly."

However, that was easier to taken in than what Tatsumi witnessed. He was taken aback by the way his friend acted since it was completely new to him and shocking.

' _Without…even batting an eyelash, he-'_ He thought.

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard followed by a figure landing on the ground from the air. It caught everyone's attention as it revealed itself to be Bulat in his moment of hype.

"The enemy came running over here! Leave the rest to me!" He proclaimed.

"It's over already." Akame told him immediately.

"Huh?" Bulat questioned, feeling confused. He looked before him, precisely at the dead intruder and Ieyasu's bloody axe before a thought came to mind. _'It seems we have a new assassin then.'_

Later that night, a celebration was commenced by Night Raid. Bulat was on the table drinking and flexing his muscles while Leone drank to her heart's content with Mine watching and Lubbock doing what he wants by sitting back. But the same couldn't be said for Ieyasu and Tatsumi as they stood before the boss who wanted to speak with them.

"Nice work on your first battle, Tatsumi." Najenda said with a smirk on her face. "And congratulations on your first kill, Ieyasu. You both did well. But hearing Akame's report, there are some things to be uneasy about. In order for you to survive, Tatsumi, I see that you need someone to teach you a lot of things. That is why you'll team up with Akame and learn from her."

"WHAT!?" Tatsumi shouted in shock.

"HAHAHAHA!" Ieyasu laughed. "Better luck next time, Tatsumi."

"That means you too, Ieyasu." Najenda added. "Your trainer will be Bulat. Be ready."

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to laugh. But unlike his friend, he had his hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter as he watched the teen turn to Bulat with a somewhat scared look on his face. It didn't help the teen's situation that Bulat made eye contact with him before sending a wink at him.

' _Why me…'_ He thought, comically stunned.

"So, Akame, you got that?" Najenda asked, turning to the girl.

"Uh huh." Akame answered instantly. She had a cooked meat with the bone sticking out in her hand as she did so.

' _Just like that?!'_ Tatsumi thought, shocked by the girl's swift reply. But it didn't help that the boss went a bit further and darker.

"You can cut him down if he seems he'll get in the way." Najenda said freely.

"Uh huh. Got it." Akame replied swiftly again.

' _You got it?!'_ Tatsumi was taken aback.

Just then, the boss turned back at Tatsumi. "You're lucky to be able to be taught by a cute girl. Do your best so you don't get killed."

However, Tatsumi didn't know how else to reply to that. His mind was still grasping on the idea as he stood there, staring at Akame who just seemed unfazed by it.

' _I'm going to team up with this girl from now on?! Whhhyyyy?!'_

Just the thought of it was very worrying for the brown haired teen to comprehend. But before any word could be said, Lubbock became alarmed as the wheels on his backhand device began to spin again as it meant one thing.

"Intruder!" He shouted, alarming everyone. He immediately stood up from his seat as he felt pumped by the alarm before then turning to Najenda. "Najenda, we got another one!"

"Is that so?" Najenda questioned, feeling somewhat relaxed. "How many are they this time?"

"It's just…one." Lubbock answered.

This revelation came a bit surprising to everyone as it now had all their attention. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were immediately over the way they were feeling as they too wondered how the number could be that way.

"How could it be one? Didn't we kill them all?" Ieyasu asked.

"Of course we did." Mine answered, though rudely glaring at the teen. "It just means someone is dumb enough to actually come here."

"That may be the case." Najenda said with a skeptic look. She now seemed more serious as she thought about it before standing up and extending her hand out at her subordinates. "For now we don't know who it is. So go! Analysis the threat and eliminate it swiftly!" She ordered.

Once that was said, the atmosphere in the area changed. Every member of Night Raid, including Tatsumi and Ieyasu, became serious as they took in the boss's order before rushing out. Whether this threat was dangerous or not, it has to be taken out immediately.

"I knew it! You got us lost!" shouted a female voice.

"We're not lost!" shouted a male voice back at her. "We just have to follow this river and we'll be there in like a day or two…or longer! Ow!"

It has been a long day since Ben Tennyson had saved Aria from the Apeman Danger Beast. Since then, both of them have been heading through a direction Ben picked while he continuously carried her. There were times they took breaks, but that was only once since Aria didn't want to sit on the ground again because it was dirty.

' _Spoilt brat.'_ Ben thought as he gritted his teeth and rubbed a pained part of his head the girl caused. Aria's ankle was still broken, so he was stuck carrying her until it can be treated. But that wasn't to say the girl was done berating him.

"And what the heck was that about?! You almost tripped and made me fall!"

"Well excuse me." Ben replied sarcastically. "You're heavier than you look after a long walk. Besides, I didn't see that trip wire until I almost tripped from it."

"Trip wire?" Aria questioned, seemingly confused. Her anger at the teen seemed almost gone as she asked. "What's that?"

"A standard trigger to something."

"What?!" Aria shouted in a mix of shock and anger. "And you're playing it off as nothing?"

"Well yeah, I guess." Ben replied with a dull expression. "It didn't activate a weird convoluted trap, so we're good until whoever made it comes to kill us or something. Besides…" A smirk then appeared. "I'm kind of looking forward to kicking some butts."

'You're an idiot." Aria said with spite. "Dumb cattle! I just want to go to the Capital!"

Ben held back any response since he couldn't think of one. He has felt constant pressure to grant the blond girl her wish as she was a pain to him, always yelling and calling him names that weren't needed for a hero like himself. Sure, she had showed some gratitude to him after he saved her from the Danger Beast. But that never meant she changed completely for the better.

However, whether it mattered then was a subject Ben would have to tackle later, depending on if he would live to get to that. The reason for that was because unknown to them, Night Raid was already watching their somewhat peaceful walking.

"So that's him huh?" Mine questioned, seemingly unimpressed.

Her current location was at a cliff again as she wore her eye piece while having her rifle-like Teigu, Pumpkin, pointed at Ben. "It's hard to believe he took on Akame easily when he looks so scrawny." Mine said again.

"But at least we know the threat." Sheele said in observance.

Unlike her friend though, she couldn't see Ben very well for a reason. The reason they were at that location was because it allowed them to be undetected by far eyes while allowing Mine the advantage to kill. It was why she wore her eye piece at her eye to give her a perfect look on Ben and Aria.

"Sure thing." Mine replied. She had her weapon targeted specifically at Ben as her finger was at the trigger. "But for his sake, he better hope Akame takes him out before I make a hole through that head of his."

So while those two were ready, there was another pair watching from the distance. It wasn't Akame, Bulat, Tatsumi or Ieyasu, but Leone sitting on a tree while Lubbock was below her while looking through a pair of binoculars.

"So that's the kid, right?" Lubbock questioned."He's carrying that girl from that mansion. No wonder my threads felt it was just one person."

"Yup." Leone nodded with a smile. She was currently in her Teigu form, which used to see from the distance Ben and Aria. For her own reason, she felt excited about this. "I can't believe I'll finally get to try him out."

"Don't be so sure." Lubbock refuted and smirked. "With Akame and Bulat, that kid's a goner."

"We'll see." Leone replied. The smirk on her face grew as she continued staring. "But just to be safe, make sure there isn't a way they'll escape."

"I'm on it."

Lubbock, currently, didn't see the threat like Leone did. He knew about the power the enemy had, but overall felt at ease despite agreeing to set up the traps. So as he left, Leone looked back at him before looking back at Ben and Aria's direction with her tail wagging excitedly.

"This is going to be good."

Meanwhile, those at the best view had different feelings about this. There was Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Bulat, who were hiding behind bushes and trees by the riverside at a place Ben was about to pass in complete silence.

' _Dammit, Ben, why do you have to come here of all places! Are you trying to get killed?!'_ Tatsumi thought. He felt conflicted as he could see Ben and Aria's figure coming closer while at the same time clutching his sword. But then a focused look came over him. _'No…As much as we were friends in the past that has changed. He saved that girl even knowing she killed Sayo…I have no choice but to avenge her.'_

' _So this is it…'_ Ieyasu thought determindedly. _'As much as you saved my life back then, I cannot let Sayo's killer walk away free. So no matter the cause…Aria, you'll be join your sadistic family in hell.'_

For some reason, Aria felt a cold shudder down her spine. She didn't think it was the night causing it as the air felt just fine to her. But it did stop her yelling, much to Ben's relief and gratefulness, as a serious and confused look took over.

' _Something isn't right…'_ Aria thought silently. _'The air…the very atmosphere…it all seems off like…a thirst…A thirst for – OH SHIT!'_

Immediately, the feeling made sense to the blond girl. It made her eyes widen before she gripped Ben by the neck, causing him to startle and choke as he came to a stop.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill –" Ben said.

But then something unexpected happened right before them. A familiar looking katana came straight down from the air, striking directly at where Ben would've walked into if he hadn't been stopped. Then, within a second later, Akame landed on the ground next to the weapon before pulling it out of the ground and holding it readily at the duo with a focused look on her face.

Now Aria's action made sense to the teen hero. The girl must've sensed the danger before he could, before then reacting in the best way she could while their life was still intact. And though Ben didn't like the choke, he was grateful inwardly as well as outwardly surprised when he saw Akame standing before him.

"Oh come on!" He shouted in mix of shock and mild frustration. "Seriously, you again?!"

"Ben…she's not alone." Aria said with fear in her voice. She had her head turned back at she did this.

"Huh?" Ben questioned, feeling confused. He felt Aria looking back before then seeing what she saw. It was Bulat in Incursio, standing with his red spear out. "Great…she brought a friend." He said and turned forward back at her. "This could not get any –"

Suddenly, Akame charged at him without hesitation.

 **OOOOHHH SNAAAAPPP, IT'S ABOUT TO GET REAAAALLLL!**

 **I know, cliffhanger right? But at least the chapter was enjoyable. I originally wanted to exclude some scenes from the manga so we can get that fight with Ben, but decided against it so we can get clear insight of Night Raid and their character. So, again, I'm very sorry you didn't get to see the Ben 10 fight just yet. But at least you got to see the direction it's going.**

 **Anyway, now about the votes, I would like to say thankful for those who took their time to vote the pairing they needed. I appreciated them all before deciding to close it with the results below.**

 **BenXLeone – 3**

 **BenXChelsea – 1**

 **BenXKurome - 1**

 **BenXAkame – 1**

 **So yes, the winner is the Ben and Leone pairing! For those who voted that one, congratulations! As for those who picked the others, you have my biggest thanks for that. I do hope you keep reading this fanfiction. After all, I have so much planned.**

 **Also, thank you New Universe Returns for the fanfiction you mentioned. I read the story, the chapter with Aria, and honestly love how she was put. But I prefer she remains as her canon character before developing from that. Nonetheless, it was a great read. I can see why you said it was almost like I did with the character.**

 **Well that's all for now. Thank you so much for your support. Please keep it.**


	5. Attack, Fight and Eliminate the user Pt1

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

Wow! You guys sure are hyped for this chapter huh? Well I can't blame you. This chapter is going to stand out in a way from other crossovers with Akame ga kill concerning fights. Now don't get me wrong, I haven't read all their crossovers. I just have a feeling it may be.

Also I feel like I should inform you all that this fanfiction takes place after the events of Omniverse. That means Ben doesn't have the Ultimatrix, hence no ultimates will be showing up in this fanfic…yet. Yes, I am planning for Ben to regain that ability, but until I have it cleared then don't depend on it happening. And another thing I should let you know, when I write this version of Ben I have this idea of an Omniverse version of Ben if he was from the anime world. That is why he curses a bit and thinks a lot.

So without anything else to say, on with the chapter.

 **Chapter 5: Attack, Fight and…Eliminate the Omnitrix user? Part 1**

For a hero that has dealt with all kinds of villains, Ben didn't see what came for him. In fact, he had only been talking when Akame went after him with a slash of her katana. Night Raid weren't ones for talking in a battlefield, so that was natural to the black haired assassin.

So in those seconds it happened, Ben could only react the best way he could. He made a move backwards, while instinctively holding Aria tighter to him, until he felt the taste of Murasame. It wasn't bad though, but it did cut across his stomach, causing blood to instantly spill out.

"AAAAHHHH!" Ben screamed.

Akame's attack was something very surprising for the teen hero as it gave him little time to react. He might've been killed if he hadn't dodged as far as he could. However, due to still feeling the actual sting of the blade, the teen was overcome by the pain as he then lost his footing and fell to the ground, with Aria falling on her back. fell

"OWWWW!" Aria cried out.

Being knocked off Ben's back came hard for the blond as it hurt. But when for a second it didn't seem that bad, her hurt ankle reminded her otherwise to the point that she screamed again.

"Eliminate."

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused.

The girl was still in the midst of her pain when she heard that familiar word. She didn't know how long since she last heard that word, nor did she ever hope to ever hearing it again. But she had no choice in the matter now. It brought a look of dread on her face as she looked up with shaky eyes just in time to see Akame raise her katana above her head to strike her down.

"No…not again…" Aria quivered.

As much as she hated to think it, but she had to admit she was a goner. Akame had successfully cut down Ben, only to now finish the job she was prevented from doing the last time they saw each other. So imagine how much fear took over her body that it froze her in place with nothing to do about it.

Fortunately for her, some unexpected got in the way. Maybe it was a struck of luck or just good fortune. But it didn't matter then as Ben rose from the ground with a groan, while holding his hand over the wound as it continuously sting him.

"Not…so fast, Akame." Ben said.

"Hmm?"

The black haired assassin was a bit surprised to hear her name, considering she never told the young man what it was. But now that he knew it, the girl had her attention at him as her katana was by her side.

"You know my name. How?" She asked, looking intimidating as she glared at him.

"Oh, that…" Ben said. He then tried to bear the pain he felt as he held over the bleeding as he continued. "That friend of your words with the big…ears said your name that one time, remember?"

"Mhm." Akame nodded.

Meanwhile, in their hiding place, Tatsumi and Ieyasu had an anime sweat drop as they looked comically stunned at Akame.

' _She nodded so easily.'_ Both boys thought simultaneously.

But it didn't matter at all for that moment. In fact, their use in the battlefield was yet to come considering what was going on between Ben and Akame. Aria seemed to be forgotten while Bulat stood just to observe and act if the need be. He had heard what was told about Ben during the meeting earlier and knew he was dangerous to underestimate, especially now that he seemed serious.

As for the teen hero, he continued as he began panting hard. "Besides…do toy know…how much it costs…TO BUY THIS SHIRT?!"

' _Is…Is he for real?'_ Aria thought, stupefied by his reaction.

' _That's Ben for you…'_ Ieyasu thought, facepalming in an instant.

"Why am I not surprised?" Tatsumi murmured.

However, it didn't stop there for the teen hero. In fact, he continued immediately after as he gestured both hands at the wound on his stomach.

"Also, what the heck?!" He yelled angrily. "This is my only shirt in this world, you know? I can't just –'

Just then, the teen hero came to a stop. He could feel the growing pain in his body increase as its results left his body shaking violently. It wasn't from the injury he received from Akame's blade though, but something that seemed different and yet related to her attack. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it. The pain was so agonizing that it felt like his entire bloodstream was shutting down due to a sudden tightening in his heart.

"W-What is…this?" Ben asked, between the pain and talking. He could already feel himself getting weak as even his legs gave up as he fell on his knees.

"One slash, one certain kill." Akame answered with her monotone voice. "That is a specialty of Murasame."

"M-Mura-sa-me?" Ben questioned.

But it didn't matter in his situation. The poison caused by the deadly Teigu was so great that all feeling in Ben's body gave out. It led him to instantly fall on his front, with his breathing reducing dramatically as everyone watched until he grew silent.

' _No…it can't be.'_ Tatsumi thought in shock. His eyes were widened as his mouth opened in the process as he stared at what he was seeing.

' _Did he just…'_ Ieyasu thought, feeling the same. He had the same expression like his friend on his face until he shook his head in refusal. _'No, it can't be! That was a chump move, dammit!'_

Unfortunately, it seemed that the universe's greatest hero was indeed dead. Aria could barely do anything as she stared wide eyed at the silent hero who had saved her life.

Meanwhile, Bulat seemed unfazed as he let out a disappointed gasp and slung his big spear over his shoulder.

"I guess that's that." He said to Akame. "You should take out the girl. Boss would want a report about this."

"Mhm." Akame nodded in response.

With Ben down on the ground, there was no one protecting Aria this time. She had a nice run since the time the teen hero saved her from Night Raid's clutches, but with nothing in Akame's way, Aria let out a scream as fear came over her shaking body as her life would soon be cut down like it was nothing.

However, before Akame could take a step closer to the girl, a whining sound from Ben's watch caught her attention. This was followed by itself faceplate shining bright green as it seemed just by that it caught Aria, Bulat, Tatsumi and Ieyasu's attention.

" **Full bloodstream scan completed. Omnitrix user, Ben Kirby Tennyson, heartbeat kept by a minimum on life support. Now applying immediate decontamination; restoring user's heartbeat in the process. Omnitrix Failsafe activated."**

Just then, the light on the Omnitrix became brighter. It covered Ben in a flash of light as whatever it intended swept through Ben's bloodstream, ridding the poison that contaminated Ben system. And while at it, causing everyone present to block their eyes before it died down and a loud gasp was heard.

"Oh my –" Ben cried out loud. He got himself back on his feet before placing his hand on his chest."Did I just die again?!"

' _Again?!'_ Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu gasped in shock.

' _He survived Akame's Murasame…'_ Bulat thought as well. Though it may not look like it, the man was surprised at the turnout. _'Clearly, I underestimated him.'_

At the same time, Aria stared at Ben with a feeling she wasn't sure of. Should she be glad, happy, scared or just a mix of both? After all, it seemed the teenager had just been raised from the dead a second ago.

Meanwhile, a few distance away, Leone's lips shaped into a grin. She had remained in her position on the tree branch while watching everything that had happened unfold before her eyes. But just when she was disappointed after Ben's supposed death, she was surprised to see him standing back on his feet as fine as before.

' _I didn't expect that.'_ Leone thought with a surprised look on her face. But she changed when a new thought came in mind, followed by a grin. _'He survived Akame's Murasame. I wonder how she's going to react to this.'_

So while Leone was feeling anxious, there were other Night Raid members that were in denial. One of them, of course, was Mine, who had a clear look of shock on her face.

"No way did that just happened!" Mine yelled in anger. "Akame couldn't have –"

"Mine, what's going on?" Sheele asked. She had been watching her friend from behind as her helper in case of any surprises,bBut now that she noticed her friend's reaction, she was curious.

"Nothing much, Sheele." Mine answered her friend."That guy just got lucky."

"Oh okay." Sheele replied. She didn't know what else to say about that other than looking a bit confused.

Speaking of Akame, the black haired assassin was coming to terms with what was going on. She hadn't expected the Teigu on Ben's wrist to speak and cure him of Murasame's poison, especially when she did what was meant to be a swift kill. But now that her target was standing once again, she narrowed her eyes more serious at him while bringing her sword up at her side.

' _This may be a problem.'_ Akame thought subtly. _'I believed a swift kill would end him, but I was wrong. His Teigu seems to be equipped with a way to nullify wounds and poison. That means if I'm to kill himI have to destroy his Teigu.'_

Akame's thought, at this point, had already been made as she glanced at Ben's Omnitrix. She could see how small and yet cleverly made it was, before glaring at Ben's face and charging at him in a blinding speed. But then, as she swung her sword at his Omnitrix's arm, the teen surprisingly moved his arm out of the way before letting out a yelp as he leapt backwards just to avoid a swing for his neck.

"Woah! You just tried to kill me!" Ben shouted in a moment of shock. He had been trying to recover from the unexpected kill by Akame when this happened. But upon gulping a spit down and rubbing his neck, a serious look formed on his face before he raised the Omnitrix to his chest level and touching the faceplate just for the hologram circle of alien faces to appear. "You want to kill me? Fine. But just know I'm not going down that easy again." He said. Then the Omnitrix's faceplate slipped away just for the core to pop out with his hand above it. "And since you want the Omnitrix, then get ready to throw down with…"

Immediately, he slammed his hand down on the core, causing the usual transformation. It led to his entire body to be engulfed in a flash of green light as it altered his DNA in accelerated rate. His body grew some feet taller as he became somewhat slimmer while flaps grew under his arms and his head drastically changed. The transformation continued to change other parts of his drastically that when the light died down, Ben stood as a strange green and black humanoid creature. The creature seemed to be vampire-like in nature as it had pale-blue skin and sharp yellow teeth. It also wore a black and green jumpsuit with the chest plate similar to one of his other aliens, while also wearing black gloves with green fingers which possessed sharp claws and a green mask with spikes on his head. Another thing to note was his green eyes, the green flaps under his arms and the Omnitrix symbol on his stomach.

" **WHAMPIRE!"**

With his hands spread out, Ben had let out his usual name cry right before everyone. He had completely been transformed to a creature not even Tatsumi or Ieyasu had seen during the time they were friends. But even if they did, it wouldn't matter so much at the matter. Akame was still fixed on the alien hero who, no matter the transformation, was still a target.

So without saying a word, Akame went after Ben yet again. She had her katana straightly directed for his stomach in a piercing fashion as her speed made the normal eye almost impossible to see her go. But there was a problem with that. Whampire was no normal being.

Speaking of the alien hero, he cocked a smirk when his eyes saw her. The female assassin was indeed fast, but not someone that could surprise Whampire's enhanced vision. Hence, as Akame's blade came for his side, he simply moved to his like almost like a blur.

But her attack didn't stop there, not even for a second. The girl was still swift as ever before as she immediately locked eyes on Whampire's form with the very intention to kill. This time she swung her sword at him to slash his stomach, only for him to react to it by flying back with her following him at his front.

' _She's persistent, I'll give her that.'_ Whampire thought with a display of annoyance.

Akame seemed very determined to end his life as she didn't seem to hesitate slashing at him again. And why wouldn't she? The teen hero wasn't in an armored form like the time he first fought her. Hence, the moment he came to a stop, she swung her katana upward to slice his face, only to miss because he bent his upper body backwards. However, this was accompanied with a swift front kick at his chest that sent his flying for a few feet away. It would've ended with him falling to the ground if he didn't stop himself in the air.

' _And she's stronger than she looks.'_ Whampire thought with mild surprise.

However, Akame didn't give him a chance to be by himself. In fact, she came at him swift, and possibly faster than before, as she immediately began swinging her katana at him in such a speed that Whampire could swear she wanted to turn him into a salad. Fortunately, he didn't give her that luxury. She may be fast, but Whampire was faster as he dodged her slashes easily with his enhanced speed.

But that wasn't to say Akame became relentless. In fact, she tried to be faster as she mustered much of her speed to at least leave a cut on him. But when you're a being from another world, it seemed hard to achieve that. After all, Whampire was not only able to swiftly dodge her attacks but had many opening to strike back, for which she was prepared for. So why didn't he? The only accomplishment she reached was being able to make him move out of place in order to dodge her attacks efficiently, which wasn't something to brag about.

But that was when the black haired assassin decided she had enough. She had taken in the speed Whampire was using from his movements, when suddenly she almost got him at the neck with yet another swift slash. But like her previous attacks, Whampire dodged it, though this time it was different, as she not only scared him a bit but cause him to fly back a few feet away to create space. This time Akame didn't follow him.

"Now that was too close for comfort." Whampire said and sighed in relief.

And he was right to assume such a thing. Akame's attack had almost gotten him when he thought it would fail. In fact, if it hadn't been for his alien's instincts he may have fallen victim to her quick cuts again. But while he could puzzle this, he was able to calm his nerves down just in time for Akame to speak to him.

"Why do you not attack?" Akame asked. She still had her focused expression as she continued. "You had many chances to strike back, so why don't you?"

"Oh…was it that obvious?" Ben asked, seemingly sheepishly. For some reason, he smiled in that same fashion as he rubbed the back on his head before continuing. "Well…I got to be honest…I haven't punched a really cute girl before."

' _He's kidding, right?'_ Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu thought simultaneously. A comedic stunned look was on their faces as they eyed the teen hero.

However, Akame didn't seem to buy it in the slightest. She simply directed her katana at the teen hero accursedly and replied. "I don't believe you. You struck me down the first time we met."

"Yeah…Cannonbolt doesn't exactly see, so …huh?"

At the last part, Whampire noticed something was wrong. There was a shadow over him, which seemed to be growing rapidly like someone was coming down on him. And indeed someone was coming down on him. But when he looked up, he only got a few seconds to see Bulat's figure and his spear before he came down on him.

However, it didn't turn out like one would expect. Tatsumi and Ieyasu had both eyes widened while Akame stood silently while looking at what they saw immediately after. Bulat was standing directly before Whampire with his weapon in hands, while trying to send his weapon down on Whampire who had both hands holding it from coming close.

"You guys don't joke around, don't ya?" Whampire said, commenting on Bulat. He also seemed a bit strained as he continuously held the assassin's spear in place while grinning. "The guys I fight back home sometimes talk much. But with you guys, it's just straight to the kill. Now then…let's get things moving."

Just then, Whampire decided to go against the brute strength of Bulat. He let out a loud groan as he put his muscles to the test while his opponent pressed down against him to match. But after a few seconds, the result of this fit of strength seemed to be against Bulat as Whampire was lifting his spear up stronger than he could muster against him. In fact, it became so much that the assassin pulled back and jumped a few feet back to create space between them.

However, Whampire decided to be on the offense this time. That meant he flew directly for Bulat with his fist back, causing him to go on the defense by raising his spear's flat side at his chest level just in time to feel the impact of a powerful alien's fist against it.

It wasn't too bad though, at least to Bulat's experience. But it did cause him to grit his teeth as a groan escaped his lips when he tried to stay standing. Whampire's fist had not only been a surprise but it caused his feet to skid back despite the strength he mustered against. But when the alien hero came with another blow again, he twirled his spear and used it to block his helmet just in time.

However, this time, Bulat held his ground firmly. He let out a loud groan though, as the ground underneath his made a few cracks before he used used his spear to push Whampire back, which he did. But that did nothing to the alien hero, as he ended up just floating in the air a few feet from him. But before either of them could attack, Akame intervened.

The reason she didn't intervene before was simple. She needed an opening. And now that she saw such a thing, she charged at the alien hero with her katana by her side before making a leap for his torso with precise unexpected speed.

Too bad this didn't work so well for the female assassin. The reason for this was because of Whampire, who had superior hearing and a natural sense of his surroundings, was able to detect her closeness before flying upwards just in time to avoid her.

' _That was close.'_ Whampire thought. _'I got to be really careful. These guys want me dead, after all.'_

So with that came some action from the alien hero. Akame landed on the ground with her eyes precisely back on Whampire, before then watching the enemy's next move. She saw as he flew backwards to put distance from them before doing a flip that resulted in him flying straight at them with his body a few feet off from the ground.

' _He's coming fast.'_ Akame thought quickly.

And indeed she was right in that analysis. Whampire was coming at them with his fists forward as his face possessed a straight look that didn't waver. In a way, this would kill both assassins the chance of a quick kill. However, at the speed he was coming, both assassins had to jump away at their respective sides just to avoid him a collision with him.

However, the teen hero didn't seem to slow down anytime soon. In fact, his attention went for Akame once he did a U-turn just to get to her, to which she took notice and stood her ground. She didn't deter in the slightest to get out of his way nor did she remove her concentrated glare on him as he approached her. She just readied her katana for a swift kill until the moment the distance between them was closed where she then slashed her katana at him.

However, in what seemed like a bizarre twist, Akame missed her target. This was because Whampire, having successfully gotten close to her, changed to his bat form and flew over her shoulder. The current form was basically a small black ball with wings of the same color and size, as well as a miniature version of his face on the front of his body, which he remained as for a few seconds before transforming back to normal with his back on the ground and Akame turning to face him.

Though she couldn't show it, the female assassin was admittedly fooled by his trick. It had caught her off guard until now she had yet another chance to swing her katana at him. Unfortunately, before she could fully attack, Whampire caught her wrist with his hand and grinned widely at her face.

"Gotcha now!" He stated with an open expression. He finally had the female assassin in a position where he could actually turn the tide of the fight. And now that she was facing him, he shot a corrupturas (a small dark-green, diamond shaped object with green eyes, little horns and black bat-like wings) for her forehead without hesitation.

However, there was a problem he soon encountered then. It was the fact that Akame wasn't exactly defenseless against his surprise attack. She was able to use her free hand to swiftly grab the mind-controlling thing, surprising the alien hero, before immediately changing the handling of her katana to strike the enemy while he was stunned by her move. But before she could actually strike him, the alien hero reacted with a small yelp and flew backwards before she could slash his face.

"Okay, that was too close for comfort." Whampire said under his breath. He was still surprised at what she did, as it not only confirmed how good she was but the amount of danger she imposed on him if he wasn't careful.

However, just as he was recovering, Bulat decided to strike again. He dashed against the teen hero upon seeing him standing in a clear opening, before then swung his spear at him for his torso. But before his action could be accomplished, Whampire was able to detect him and his attack as he instantly snapped out on his initial shock before grabbing the blade of the spear with his left hand, though with a cost.

Not surprising, holding the blade hurt a lot. It caused the alien hero to hiss in pain as he held the weapon from getting to him despite the green blood now coming through.

"Men…that hurts." Whampire winced as he tried to bear the pain. Bulat was increasingly trying to pressure him while he tried holding the assassin back from making it worse. But it didn't make anything much better. In fact, the alien hero saw Akame coming, before looking directly at Bulat's eyes. _'I could try hypnotizing him…but from what I'm seeing, his armor isn't normal like at all. But if I don't try something else, that girl would get me…I guess I have no other choice.'_

"Hey, you." Whampire called directly at Bulat. "You and your friend shouldn't get close to me."

"Yeah…and why's that?" Bulat asked. The armored assassin was trying to press harder against the alien hero, knowing Akame was close by.

Speaking of the female assassin, she was much closer as expected. The gap between her and the two fighters was almost immediately closed as she got ready to strike him.

However, something didn't seem right at those few seconds to deal the kill. Whampire grew a sly grin on his face as his body began to shine brightly, indicating something big.

"I go boom quiet easily." Whampire finished.

That was when it immediately made sense to the armored assassin. His eyes flew wide in alarm as he immediately turned to Akame, who had closed in on the alien hero.

"Akame, get back!" He shouted.

Unfortunately, it was already too late for her to react. She already had her katana's blade a few inches at Whampire's neck when suddenly the alien hero let out a blinding green energy so powerful it blasted anything within its short surroundings. It was witnessed by Aria, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Mine and Leone, all who were stunned or shocked at what happened.

"No…don't tell me…" Mine muttered with a shaky voice. Her eyes were widened as tears began to leak out at the very thought of the awful fate of her comrades. At the same time, Sheele stood baffled as she eyed her friend, afraid to ask what just happened. She had heard a big boom coming from the distance, which hinted what may have happened.

At the same time, Leone gritted her teeth. "Shit…you better not be dead, Akame…Bulat." She said.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were deep in bafflement and shocked at what happened. They had just witnessed the demise of two of their own in the hands of someone they once considered a friend.

' _Bro…'_ Ieyasu thought, tightening his fist. He was trying to hold back the pain in him as he then shut his head and looked down. _'He can't be dead.'_

However, unlike his friend, Tatsumi was still looking at the battlefield. He was still shocked at what happened, but now with the inclusion of a frustrated tightened fist. _'Akame…Bulat…Did Ben just…?'_

"Damn you, Ben!" Ieyasu shouted in anger.

The black haired teen finally couldn't hold his emotion. He was angry, saddened and troubled at what had happened, especially since it involved someone who saved him once. In fact, he was so mixed about this that he stood right up, about to walk out of their hiding spot when suddenly Tatsumi held him.

"Let me go, Tatsumi!" Ieyasu shouted. He had his face at his friend angrily. "That bastard just…"

"No…he didn't." Tatsumi replied. His face no longer had the feeling he felt before as he was looking somewhere else. "Look." He pointed at a particular direction.

"Huh?"

Now Ieyasu was confused at what his friend meant. He turned his attention to where Tatsumi was pointing before feeling a lot of pressure of his chest at what it was. It would seem that Bulat and Akame had made it away from Whampire's blast attack after all.

So in what seemed like enlightening, both Akame and Bulat were alright. The armored assassin was in a bent knees position as his back was at where the energy explosion took place, with Akame being in his arms and his spear within his fingers. It showed that Bulat had reacted quickly enough against Whampire's energy burst, as both were seemingly unharmed from it.

"They're safe." Mine whispered with a smile. She also felt relieved and joy as her worries and fear were wiped away before she then used her dress's wrist to clean the tears on her cheeks. "Now then…" She said again, this time louder. "I hope that bastard is dead."

"Hmm." Sheele hummed.

Was Ben really dead from that seemingly suicide explosion? That was kind of hard to say then. His explosion had caused a big size crater in the ground as a dust of cloud covered it. It wasn't that large enough to reach Aria's position, but it was wide enough to cut into the stream of the front of the forest.

"Ben…" Aria muttered.

Ever since the explosion happened, the teen has been staring at the place Whampire had seemingly gone off. It didn't matter much to her that Bulat and Akame were some feet away at her left; she was just scared at what could've been fate of the young man that has saved her more than once. Hence, as the cloud dust subsided, a feeling of relief washed over her face at a familiar figure standing with his arms at his head.

"Huh, that went better than I expected." Whampire commented with a smile on his face. His eyes then went on Akame and Bulat as they both were on their feet, facing him. "You made it alive." He said and pointed at Akame. "Good." He then sighed in relief. "I still don't have that whole…energy explosion thing worked out yet."

"That was careless." Bulat suddenly commented. He had his spear in his right hand as his eyes were seemingly directed at him as he spoke. "I've heard about you, Ben. I heard how you saved the rich girl even when her wrongdoings were showed before you. But while I don't support your action then, you've been very careless. If you can't take into account of your actions in battle, then you're a risk to yourself and those around you."

"Uh…thanks, I guess." Whampire replied, not sure how to respond to that. "I'll be sure to write that down in my 'don't listen to crazy assassins' notebook."

Akame glared at him with a scowling look in response. She didn't like Ben's sarcastic attitude, especially since it was at someone who she knew very well. But when she gripped her katana and took a step forward, Bulat placed his hand on her shoulder before then turning back at the alien hero.

"But besides that, it's obvious you're well skilled and powerful." Bulat said boldly. "And from what Leone's said, your actions here confirms you don't have it in you to kill. That shows you also have a good heart. So I come with an offer if you wish to make some good impact."

"Okay, and what's that?" Whampire asked. He crossed his arms across each other, over his chest, as he stared at armored assassin with an intrigued look.

"Join us, Night Raid." Bulat stated boldly. "We're dedicated to taking out the rotten eggs in the Capital and the empire as a whole for a brighter future. Your former friends Tatsumi and Ieyasu joined our cause because they believed in ridding the empire of its evil and restoring an equal system for all. So what do you say? Will you join us?"

"No." Whampire answered straight away. "As much as you guys murder a lot, some part of me believe you're doing some good. That is probably why Tatsumi and Ieyasu joined your cause. But you guys don't have a moral against killing defenseless girl. Yeah, she's very guilty of her crimes. However, taking her out doesn't make you any better than what she and her family did."

' _So…that's it then.'_ Bulat thought, tightening his grip on his spear.

For those who heard Whampire's words, those words sunk into that as it revealed a new interpretation of the teen hero. Bulat was silent to say anything back while Akame stood still with her glare continuously at the teen hero. Her feelings then didn't reveal what she actually thought of him though, it just showed her resentment for him. However, that couldn't be said by those who were watching up close.

' _Is he talking about me?'_ Aria thought. She didn't know what to make about this as she stayed still, still looking at the alien hero.

"He's actually defending the bitch!" Ieyasu yelled angrily.

The black haired teen found his feelings once again open right next to his friend. But unlike before, it was a single anger at Ben who he reacted to by punching his fist at the tree next to him. "That bastard! I can't believe he was our friend!" Ieyasu cursed angrily.

"Yeah…" Tatsumi muttered.

However, unlike his friend, his feelings were different. He was heartbroken, while at the same time angry, as his hand was clutched at where his heart was as he continued to look at Ben.

' _But what about Sayo?'_ Tatsumi thought. _'Did you forget her? Did you forget everything we've been through? No…I'm sure you didn't. But if this is really what you want…then I won't hold back against you in the battlefield.'_

There was no denying it now that Whampire's words had hit deep on the two boys. It had them quietly against the young hero from their position as everything else seemed to go on.

"That's where you're wrong." Akame suddenly said. She now had a straight focused face as she took a few steps forward from Bulat before continuing. "We're not trying to be better than them. We know our wrongs and we'll accept our retribution when the time comes. But for now, we will eliminate you since you've decided to not join us."

"Yeah…good luck with that." Whampire replied and smirked.

So it was very much decided then; the fight will go on between the assassins and the hero with no resolve whatsoever. However, there was a twist to it that Akame came up with. She turned to Aria and held her katana by her side before dashing at her.

"Eliminate." Akame said.

"Aria!" Whampire shouted.

From the look of shock and urgency on his face, it was obvious he hadn't anticipated Akame to go after Aria when he was still around. It just didn't make that much sense until now. However, even if he did, his attention was taken when Bulat came down on him from the air with his spear up.

"You're attention is on me!" The armored assassin shouted.

"Yeah, right!" Whampire snarled with a glare.

However, as much as Whampire didn't like it, Bulat was right. The armored assassin came down on him and struck his spear down on him, causing him to fly left just to dodge. But from what Bulat hadn't seen coming, Whampire swiftly swung a strong punch at his helmet with a strong force.

"Out of my way!" He yelled determinedly.

So with that, Whampire sent Bulat flying right into the forest. A few sounds of trees being knocked down could be heard, but it didn't matter to Whampire. The alien hero just directed his attention at Akame before flying off at her.

Meanwhile, Aria found herself in a scary and terrifying position. She could see Akame dashing at her with her katana ready while she was still on the ground, on her back, with nothing else that could stop the seemingly inevitable. Her ankle still hurt to move as the thought of escape seemed like a dying wish when there was an assassin like Akame coming for her.

So with nothing else to do, she screamed. "Ben, save me!"

However, the chance of the hero stepping in seemed inevitable. Akame was just a feet away from here when she then swung her katana for the blond girl's chest. At the same time, Whampire had already closed in with his fist drawn back to hit Akame.

"No!" Whampire shouted.

But then something unexpected happened. Akame switched the handling of her katana's handle to a stabbing form, which she then swiftly sent at Whampire's stomach, precisely at the Omnitrix's symbol. And before the alien hero could react, the tip of her katana hit the alien tech, causing a huge feedback energy blast so powerful it sent anything close by flying.

So, not surprising, this affected Whampire, Akame and Aria. The teen hero was instantly transformed back to his human form as his body flew right into the stream close by. At the same time, Akame hit the ground hard while Aria suffered the same fate as her body rolled until she was on her stomach.

"Ugh…that could've gone better." Ben muttered bitterly.

The stream the hero had been sent to was surprisingly shallow as it didn't cover much of his body. It was obvious by the way he sat there, holding his stomach before then standing on his feet as he raised the Omnitrix at his chest level with an irritated glare.

"And what was that about, Omnitrix? My butt's wet thanks to you!" He yelled.

However, his moment then soon came to a stop as he noticed something dashing at him. It wasn't Akame though, but actually her comrade, Bulat, who immediately swung his spear down to slice the Omnitrix user. Unfortunately for him, Ben jumped sideways with a yelp before then swiftly ducking his upper body as Bulat swung his spear again.

' _This guy just doesn't know when to quiet.'_ Ben thought with an irritated look. And frankly who could blame him? He could still feel his shoes and socks getting soggy just from staying in the water.

But that didn't matter to Bulat in the slightest. The armored assassin main concern was getting rid of the target, whom he then sent his spear directly for a stab attack. But upon seeing the teen jump back, he noticed the teen raise his hand over the watch device on his wrist before then charging at him to stop him.

However, Bulat couldn't stop what was inevitable to happen. The Omnitrix user slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix's core just in time as Bulat sent his spear forward to stab right through him. But upon being engulfed in a flash of green light, Ben stood as an entirely different being which he then used to halt the spear's motion with a cold misty covered hand.

" **Big…Chill!"** Ben bellowed.

Big Chill was basically a blue moth man with his wings currently closed that he resembled a cloaked creature. He also had green eyes and the Omnitrix symbol at the middle of a belt on his waist which remained unscathed despite the damage it received earlier.

 **(A/N: He still retains his Alien Force/Ultimate Alien look. The only difference is that he has that belt from Omniverse)**

' _He halted my attack?'_ Bulat thought, a bit surprised.

Then it began to make sense to the armored assassin. The tip of his spear was covered by ice, which began to grow to his handle in an alarming rate that he immediately pulled back.

' _Amazing…he also has the same power as Esdeath.'_ Bulat thought, amazed as well. _'No…I shouldn't compare this to her…He may have the power, but he hasn't shown his potential with it yet...But whatever the case is, I have to be ready for him.'_

"So are you ready to give up yet?" Big Chill asked nonchalantly. "We can do this the easier way or…" Then he opened his wings. "Or the hard way."

"Hmph!" Bulat responded with twirling his spear to his side. "Try me!"

"Fine!" Big Chill shouted.

Just then, in what seemed like a fresh fight, Bulat couldn't help but feel a bit excited for this. He watched as the alien hero sent his head forward before letting out a stream of ice from his mouth which would've gotten him if he hadn't jumped to his left to avoid. But before he could send another attack, Bulat suddenly disappeared out of sight much to the teen's surprise.

' _Wait, did he just dis –'_

Big Chill came to a stop when he noticed something. He heard loud water splashing, similar to a person running through water, before becoming intangible just in time to feel something go right through his stomach. It didn't hurt him in the slightest though, but it did freeze the invisible blade that tried to slice him.

"Nope, just invisibility." Big Chill commented.

Bulat was a bit startled by this. His attempt to strike with a sneak attack seemed to have failed due to Big Chill's unexpected ability. But before he could react, Big Chill placed his hand on his chest, freezing him to the point that his entire armor became visibly frozen in ice before he then punched him at the chest, sending him flying to the water bed.

' _That was…unexpected.'_ Bulat thought and let out a groan. Though he had been caught off guard, he didn't feel that bad as he tried to get up from the ground on his stomach.

As for Big Chill, he made no attempt to attack the guy. In fact, he seemed relaxed as he watched him get back on his feet. "I got to say, you trying that invisible surprise attack was clever. But there's one mistake you made. Never try it on a person who can go through things, freeze your ass off and…disappear right before your eyes."

So with that said, Big Chill the last thing he said. His entire body disappeared right before the armored assassin's eyes. It made assassin realize the danger the alien hero now posed before he then ran for his spear which was at the bottom at the stream. But when he then got there, bending down to get it, his spear suddenly flew up pass him before the one responsible reveal himself to be Big Chill, hovering above him with the weapon in his hand.

"Looking for this." Big Chill teased playfully.

Bulat scowled as he tightened his fists in irritation. He didn't like one bit on how the battle was becoming especially now that he was unarmed. However, this didn't seem to faze Big Chill, who just continued looking down on him as he continued. "Sorry to break it to you, but I don't enjoy constantly being threatened to be the next sushi buffet."

So with that said, Big Chill froze the entire body of the weapon in his hand. He didn't break it though; he just threw it off to the forest behind Bulat before looking back at the assassin. "Now let's see how you do without your big toothpick!"

Bulat tensed a bit upon hearing this. It didn't make him to be afraid though. Rather, it encouraged him to stand battle ready with his fists up at his chest level. With Akame unconscious, from the glimpse he gave at her, he'll have to handle the alien hero alone until the girl either wakes up or Leone decides to step in. But if it was possible he could take down the hero, it would be great.

Unfortunately for him though, Big Chill didn't intend to make it easy for him. He disappeared right before the armored assassin's eyes again, causing him to stand still just to wait for his strike. He didn't know for sure when the hero will send the first blow, but he was certainly not going to be taken down so easily.

Fortunately, experience seemed to be on Bulat's side on what happened next. The armored assassin noticed a shift in the air before moving his head back to avoid something brushing against him. Then, with accurate swiftness, he turned to his left and sent his fist at the air, punching something with so much force that it was sent flying and hitting the waters. No surprise the thing he hit was Big Chill, who became invisible again.

' _Yes! An opening!'_ Bulat cheered in his head.

And from the looks of it, he may be right. Big Chill was about to get back on his feet, when suddenly Bulat rushed at him and swung a punch so strong at his head that Big Chill was knocked to his knees with his back at him. But when the alien hero was about to stand up, the assassin had both hands at his head to snap his head.

However, before Bulat could do it, Big Chill reacted quickly. He touched both hands of the assassin with his own hands, causing a bit of ice to grow on them to the point that the assassin pulled back. Then upon getting back on his feet, he turned back just in time to grab a punch to his face by the guy before letting ice to cover his entire hand in a rapid pace from there. And before Bulat could react, he let out a huge gush of ice to completely encase the guy instantly.

"Bro!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu exclaimed in shock.

And from the looks of it, they had the right to. Bulat was seemingly unmoved as Big Chill pulled his hand back before taking a step back to look at him.

"We have to help him!" Ieyasu shouted in frustrated. He felt just about enough had taken place right before their eyes. "I understand Bulat instructed us to stay put until there was a clear opening, but we can't just –"

"I know." Tatsumi interjected with a mixed look. Like he friend he wanted to step in into the fight. But he also seemed a bit calmer as he spoke. "I want to rush in there too, but we'll only be getting in the way. Ben has beaten us both in spar matches. We don't stand against him in the slightest…not with him as Big Chill anyway."

Ieyasu nodded in response, though still retaining his frustrated look. Tatsumi was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Both of them knew how powerful Ben was – or at least as far as they knew – which meant they had zero chance against him.

Fortunately, some good came when cracks in the ice began to form. It surprised Big Chill, whose eyes widened more than they already were, before the entire thing shattered into piece to reveal Bulat standing again.

However, there was a problem with the armored assassin. He was breathing hard as his eyes were seemingly directed at the alien hero who just stood there with his eyes back to normal. Obviously, breaking the ice put some strain out of him despite him standing then.

"He did it!" Tatsumi exclaimed with a wide smile. He wasn't alone with this feeling though, as even his friend had it.

With Bulat out of the ice, it appeared that he had another chance against the Omnitrix user. It was why he stood strong despite feeling a bit wary and another reason that led him to charge at the alien hero with a thrown punch.

"Don't think this is over!" Bulat exclaimed.

"I guess so." Big Chill said nonchalantly.

While the alien hero admired the assassin's fighting spirit, he didn't want to get hurt. Hence, his face became intangible just long enough for Bulat's fist to pass through before he then punched him swiftly across the face, followed by another punch against his face's other side. Then, upon having him move back, he did a spin kick at his chest, sending him flying a few feet away.

However, in what seemed like an impressive feat, Bulat didn't fall. Instead, he retained himself from doing so by taking in the blow which only made his feet skid through the water until he came to a stop still standing.

' _He's good.'_ Big Chill noted in his mind. _'Freezing him entirely in ice twice should've weakened him, but he's still able to stand. I guess that just goes to show that Night Raid isn't weak physically.'_ Then he glanced at Akame and Aria lying unconscious on the ground. _'Good thing that Akame girl is unconscious. I have to wrap up this fight with this guy and get Aria and I far away from here.'_

Back at Tatsumi and Ieyasu, both boys were amazed at the standoff there were seeing.

"Wow, Bro is so strong!" Tatsumi exclaimed with an excited look. He had his fist tightened to his chest to emphasis how pumped he felt as he watched the fight.

"He sure is!" Ieyasu agreed.

Just then, something caught his line of sight. It was a movement of some kind, coming from two bodies, which immediately led him to drop his feeling as he turned to the direction.

"Akame…" He muttered. "Aria…" He said with malice.

True to his eyes, the bodies he saw were Akame and Aria. Both girls were seemingly becoming conscious as moans escaped their lips before one after the other began to rise. However, the sight of seeing Aria alive seemed to anger the black haired teen as he grabbed Tatsumi's wrist while glaring at the blond.

"Come on, Tatsumi. Now's our chance." He said with an urgent tone.

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, looking at his friend confused.

"Look." Ieyasu said and pointed at Aria. "We have to do it now, Tatsumi. This has to be the chance bro was telling us. We have to avenge Sayo."

"You're right!" Tatsumi nodded affirmative.

Though Bulat seemed to be on the downside in the fight, both boys knew their chance to strike was then. Big Chill was too occupied with fighting the assassin that he failed to keep watch of the very girl he was protecting.

So as much as they wanted to help Bulat, Aria's death was a top priority. It led both of them to draw out their weapons before charging out of their hiding spots, heading straight for the girl who was just coming back to reality.

' _Shit…my head hurts.'_ Aria cursed with an irritated look as she sat up. She wasn't sure what had happened before, only remembering that Akame was about to kill her when Ben suddenly stepped it. But before she could think more of it, she heard two loud voices that got her attention before she turned to it.

Just then, a look of fright and fear came over her body. She could see both Tatsumi and the other boy she presumed dead, Ieyasu, coming towards her with their weapons drawn.

"AH! You're actually alive!" Aria shouted, frightened at the revelation.

"You got that right!" Ieyasu yelled back, gritting his teeth. "We're going to avenge Sayo!"

' _Shit!'_ Aria cursed mentally. She wished right then she could stand up and run, but found even another move of her leg hurt her ankle. "W-Wait!" She shouted in an attempt of plea. "L-Let's talk about this! M-My ankle's broken! Yo-You wouldn't want to kill a defenseless and hurt girl, right? Tatsumi! Tatsumi!"

Tatsumi was angered to hear his name from her. To think that he once protected her from Night Raid irritated him even more now that he thought of it. But it wouldn't matter. The gap between them and the girl was closing, and soon she'll die.

' _Shit! They're not listening to me!'_ Aria thought in panic. And from the looks of it, she had every right to be. The gap between them was closing rapidly to the point that she closed her eyes shut and raised her arms up to shield her. "Ben! Save me!"

"Aria!" Big Chill perked his head to the direction of her voice.

For the short time after Bulat withstood Big Chill's attack, both combatants had been at each other. The armored assassin has been able to hold his own against the alien hero while said hero was easily able to keep him back. But when Aria's voice came through, he immediately realized what was going on as alarms metaphorically rang in his head before he decided to act.

So before Bulat could act, Big Chill phased right through the water, freezing it to the point that it kept Bulat's feet in it, before heading right through the earth for Aria's location. At the same time, both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were able to approach Aria before sending their weapons down on her.

" **This is for Sayo!"** Both boys exclaimed.

"AAAHHHH!" Aria screamed.

Time itself seemed to slow down as both weapons came down on her. Aria had no chance to fend for herself as Ieyasu and Tatsumi were seemingly in what they would feel as a triumph. But before that could happen, Big Chill's upper body came out of Aria's chest and shot a strong blast of cold wind that sent both teens falling on their backs with their weapons falling to the ground next to them.

At the same time, Aria shivered as she felt chills all over her body. It caused her to wrap her arms around her body before opening her eyes to see a blue moth creature looking at her in the air.

"Be-Ben?" Aria questioned, looking confused.

"Yeah, it's me." Big Chill answered in assurance. "Are you alright?"

"Ye-Yes." Aria replied with a nod.

Though she wasn't showing it, the girl was relieved the teen hero had come to save her. Tatsumi and Ieyasu would have killed her at that very second if he hadn't intervened in what could be described as a miracle.

However, just because that was the case didn't mean it was all smooth for the teen hero. In fact, no sooner had the girl respond did both boys stand back up with their weapons in their hands.

"Get out of the way, Ben." Ieyasu said, glaring angrily at the hero. "She deserves the die! She tortured and killed so many innocent lives, including Sayo!"

"Sorry, but I can't allow that." Big Chill replied in his calm manner. Then he turned to face his two former friends. "Killing her won't change any of that. I can't let you –"

"We know it won't change anything!" Tatsumi retorted with anger. "Don't you get it?! This isn't about making a change to the past! This is about avenging what she has done…to us and to the lives she wasted! For God sake she tortured Sayo to death just because she had better hair!"

Now this was becoming emotionally troubling. Big Chill didn't have much face expression to show, so his mind and inner body was the only thing that exposed his feelings. He looked back at Aria, who stared back at him, before turning to Tatsumi, unsure on what to say to him. But if that wasn't enough, Tatsumi continued, this time with his head down and his voice low.

"Those people were likely like us." Tatsumi muttered. "Their villages were probably under heavy taxes or maybe they just wanted to start a new life. But they didn't know what awaited them. They didn't know their lives would be wasted in that hell hole that she and her family made. So don't you get it…" He paused and then looked at Ben tearfully. "If Night Raid hadn't stepped in…if we had continued to live there, we-WE WOULD'VE BEEN LOCKED INTHEIR CAGES LIKE ANIMALS!"

"And what's wrong with that?!" Aria suddenly asked.

Big Chill was disturbed to hear this. The once scared little girl didn't exist anymore when he turned back. Instead, Aria was staring at them with a psychotic look on her face.

" **YOU ALL ARE JUST HICKS!"** She shouted loudly. **"CATTLE! THAT'S ALL YOU ARE! YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I EVEN LET YOUR DIRTY FEET IN MY PARENTS HOUSE! IF I DIDN'T LET YOU ALL IN, SOMEONE ELSE WOULD'VE KILLED YOU INSTEAD! SO WHY SHOULDN'T I HAVE THE FUN OF –"**

"You're not helping!" Big Chill yelled angrily. In his moment of anger, he blasted a small shot of an ice beam from his hand at the girl's head, knocking her to the ground unconscious.

"Now do you see?" Ieyasu asked in an unchanging tone. "She's a monster! You can't change that, Ben! Now step aside! We have to do this for Sayo!"

"You heard him, Ben." Tatsumi said, agreeing with his friend. The tears on his cheek were still present, though the flow of it seemed to have stopped as he smiled at Ben. "Please…we can be friends again. Night Raid will accept you too. I know they didn't have a good first impression, but you have to believe me that their goal is good…Besides, while we only knew each other for a few weeks, I know you want to help as many people as you can. So please…leave Aria and join us. The Revolutionary Army would need you when the time comes."

"Revolutionary Army huh?" Big Chill muttered.

Though it may not look like it, but the alien hero was feeling conflicted. He didn't know what the Revolutionary Army was though, other than the fact that they sounded good. But that thought in all, this divided his decisions. In one hand he could join Night Raid and be friends with Tatsumi and Ieyasu again, but in the other he could leave all that and take Aria away.

' _Dammit! This is so hard! What should I do, Paradox?'_ Big Chill thought in frustration. _'Is this the test you were talking about? If so, should I let Tatsumi and Ieyasu kill her so I can join a bigger cause? It's not like I've made any impact to the empire or even the Capital ever since I met her…'_

So yes, this was very hard for the teen hero to choose. He thought over what he had to do and what he should do as his mind tried its best to think of a better outcome for him.

And that's when it hit him. The decision wasn't so hard to pick, it was just the outcome that he feared. So as much as he wanted to do what was seemingly the right thing to do, he had to choose the other thing.

"Tatsumi…Ieyasu…I'm sorry. But I won't be joining your cause." Big Chill finally said. "What happened that night still haunts me till today…If I had been wiser and more open I could've been able to save Sayo…Maybe if I had gone ahead to search for you and Sayo like I first thought then maybe I could've found you guys and prevented the torture you went to. But I can't…I won't let you kill Aria, even though she's psychotic to the core because if I can't save a girl then how can I call myself a hero? How can I look my family and friends in the face when it's all over? Heck, how can I even save an empire if I can't save one girl?"

"So you're actually going to save her then." Ieyasu said with a scowling look. "You're actually turning your back at us."

"Yup." Big Chill nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "But I'm not going to fight you two."

"Good. Then this'll make things easier." Ieyasu said and held out his axe. Then he turned to Tatsumi. "Come on, Tatsumi, we have to take him on together."

Tatsumi nodded in response. He was heartbroken and at the same time angry towards the decision his former friend said. So as he wiped his tears with his cloth's wrist, he held his sword with both hands, readily looking at Ben.

"In the name of Sayo and Night Raid, we're taking you down." Tatsumi said with a bold voice.

However, Big Chill didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, he just waved his hand and directed it at them. "Yeeaaah…as threatening as that sounds, it's hard to take you seriously when you have **cold** feet."

"Huh?" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu questioned, seemingly confused. But it then made sense when they simultaneously looked down to see the bottom of their shoes covered in ice.

Just then, something unexpected happened. Big Chill immediately became intangible as Akame came at him from a jump and slashed her katana at him. But since she couldn't hit him, she landed at his other side with her body spinning to face him again.

"Seriously, don't you get tired of doing that?" Big Chill said with an annoyed voice at Akame.

However, the female assassin didn't seem to care. She just had her eyes focused on the alien hero, before then rushing at him in blinding speed. But before she could strike, Big Chill let out a gush of cold air so strong that it pushed her away to the ground.

"And that…" He said and stopped his attack. "…is my cue to leave."

At this point in time, the hero felt he had enough of what was going on. He ignored the protested cries made by Tatsumi and Ieyasu before picking Aria in his arms bridal style and turning his head at the two boys.

"Tatsumi, I know this isn't going to make me hate you less, but…when I shot that time beam at Aria the first time, I saw something…I saw her future." He said sincerely. "She was older and mature. I could see some good she did…It was so weird. I wouldn't believe it even if someone told me that. Hopefully, we can be on good terms next time. Goodbye."

So with that said, Big Chill took off into the air. His figure could seen by Ieyasu and Tatsumi, who both were confused and angry with what Ben said, as well as at him for getting away with Aria again.

"He got away!" Ieyasu exclaimed angrily.

"No, he hasn't." Akame suddenly said. She casually walked over to the two boys without showing an expression before striking her katana down on their ice covered shoes, freeing them. However, since she did that so sudden, both boys yelped as they stepped back.

"A bit of a warning next time!" Tatsumi yelled offensively.

But Akame didn't seem to care. She just stared at a familiar armored person heading towards them. It caught Ieyasu and Tatsumi attention, as what they felt towards the female assassin was dropped when Bulat stood in their midst with his spear in his hand.

"Phew! That guy sure gave me a workout." Bulat commented with an exhausted tone.

Just then, Akame bow her head at Bulat. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "I was unable to assist you when you needed me."

"Oh, that's okay." Bulat assured her with a wave of his hand. "We underestimated the lad. Good thing we thought about cutting off any means of escape for him. It's all up to Mine now."

"Mine…" Tatsumi muttered. He knew who the girl was and wondered if she would have any better luck with the young changeling.

======= **LINE BREAK=======**

"So he got away from Akame and Bulat huh?" Mine murmured as she looked at her current target. She wasn't impressed with what she was seeing though.

After seeing the fight at the riverside, it had finally come for her to deal with the Omnitrix user. But unlike the others, she had to send her blow from a mile away. It wasn't to say she was weak though; it's just the fact that her Teigu was a weapon that works better from the distance. Hence, while Big Chill was safely flying through the air, Mine had a perfect sight on him.

"Hmph! I bet he thinks he made it out alive." Mine said with a unimpressed tone. But it didn't take long after for a smirk to form on her face. "Too bad I have to shoot you down."

Suddenly, without a single hesitation, the pink haired girl took the shot. She pulled the trigger of her Pumpkin, which in turn sent a yellow energy encased bullet to fly through the air, heading directly for Big Chill with speed far superior than the ordinary bullet. However, the cost of doing it was a loud bang which caught the alien hero's attention as he turned to the direction.

"What was –WOW!"

At the last few seconds, Big Chill turned left to dodge the bullet coming for his head. But it didn't stop there. Mine immediately shot another bullet straight for him, this time getting him at one of his wings when he flew downwards right to dodge it.

' _Shit! I'm hit!'_ Big Chill thought with a mix of panic and shock.

Being shot right out of the sky was unexpected for the teen hero, especially when he had thought he was in the clear. But in the case that he wasn't, the alien hero's instinct would've been to become intangible. Unfortunately, doing so would've made Aria fall right through his arms since Big Chill can't make anybody else intangible with him. Hence, he had no other choice but to let gravity take its course.

But before crashing to the ground, Big Chill did whatever protective thing he could do. He pulled Aria's unconscious body closer to his chest before then using his wings to shield her as he closed his eyes shut, ready to bare the impact.

"This is gonna hurt!" Big Chill shouted.

The teen hero was right; it did hurt. His body went crashing through multiple branches like a crashing space ship, as he took in every hit until his body made contact with the ground, as the surface of it being dug until he came to a stop.

Meanwhile, Mine slung her Pumpkin over her shoulder as she looked proud of her work.

"First shot was to distract him. The second one was the real blow." Mine remarked. "But I got to say, I almost lost him. That second shot was meant for his head, not his wings. I guess it's all up to you guys. Leone, Lubbock, kill the guy real quick soon. Akame and Bulat will be there to help you guys if needed."

"Don't forget Tatsumi and Ieyasu." Sheele said to correct her friend.

However, Mine refused to acknowledge them as she just stubbornly move her head up. "Hmph!"

 ***********(LINE BREAK)***************

Back to the young Tennyson, the teen hero had just gotten up to his feet when he released a groan. The impact to the ground had been bad, but not one that was seriously damaging. Aria was still in his arms while his mind tried to recover what just happened from his time in the air. But before he could, the blond in his hands let out a weak moan which caught his attention. It was also followed with her weakly opening her eyes just in time to see the familiar face of Big Chill.

"Be-Ben?" She questioned weakly.

"It's me." Big Chill answered. The look on his face was undetermined as he stayed in his usual plain face. But the silence between the two was broken as the Omnitrix began to timeout.

So before the final sound was made, the teen hero placed Aria carefully on the ground. Then, with his right hand, he touched the face of the Omnitrix before then being engulfed in a flash of green light that returned him back to his human form.

"You changed back?" Aria questioned as she sat up. Her mind was still a bit dizzy as she stared at the teen hero.

"Yeah, I had to." Ben answered. He didn't seem concerned about the timeout though, as he went on one knee before Aria and placed his hand on her forehead. "Anyway, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Aria answered. "I feel a bit dizzy…But my memory is vague. Were we with Tatsumi and Ieyasu?"

"Yup." Ben nodded and stood up. "They wanted to kill you for the things you did. I saved you, but not before I knocked you out. You went…psycho on us."

"Huh…is that so." Aria murmured and looked away. She didn't seemed fazed by anything Ben said though as she just went on to thinking. But when she instinctively tried to move her right leg she winced and grabbed her ankle. "Fuck! That still hurts!"

"Oh…Sorry about that." Ben said. He then brought his Omnitrix arm up to his face before then touching the faceplate of the device as he began scrolling to the holographic circle. "Hold on…maybe I can get that fixed up until we can get to that village I was talking about."

Aria looked up to Ben upon hearing this. "Wai-Wait, you can?" She asked.

Now that just made her angry. To think that Ben was capable of helping her out of her predicament was something that angered her to no end. She wanted so much to yell right there, and to call him numerous names as well as threatening death upon him once she was back on her feet. But she couldn't. It wasn't because of the dizzy state she felt though, that was gone already. It was actually what happened next.

Aria noticed a set of threads reflect in the air by the moonlight above as it exposed them. It made her become confused, as well as having a sense of danger coming over her as she sat there. They seem to come from different direction, as known seemed to in line with the other. But before she could scream, both she and Ben were sent against a tree behind them, separate from each other as loud groan escaped their mouth followed by their arms, legs and chest being bind against the trees in an instant.

It was no secret then that what happened to them was obviously a trap. The threads that bind both humans to the trees left them completely defenseless as not even Ben could break free despite constant struggling. But then it all changed when the sound of causal footsteps as someone in the shadows made his way towards them.

"You should stop struggling, it'll hurt more." said a young male voice. "But then again, I don't exactly want to make your stay comfortable, so go wild if you want."

Ben winced as he turned his head to the direction of the voice."Who are you? Show yourself." He snarled.

"Gladly…" replied the voice. "But it isn't because you said."

So with that came the revelation. The person responsible for their binds walked out of the shadows to reveal himself to be Lubbock, another member of Night Raid. He had a focused look on his face as he had a bunch of threads in his hands, likely connected to what was keeping Aria and Ben in place.

"By the way, my name is none of your business." Lubbock said subtly. "I'm just here to do my job so I can get a goodnight sleep." Then he turned to Ben. "So you're the guy with the Teigu huh?"

"Teigu?" Ben questioned.

However, Lubbock ignored him as he continued. "I got to be honest; I was surprised you made it out alive with that rich girl when two of our best were at you. But I'll be glad to confiscate that thing on your wrist for Najenda-san. It'll probably go to a better user."

"Ha! Good luck with that!" Ben shouted with a scowling glare. "Hate to break it to you, but you're gonna have to go back in line. There's a whole bunch of people who want the Omnitrix."

"The Omnitrix?" Lubbock questioned, seemingly a bit intrigued. "A weird name for a Teigu, but whatever. Besides…" He paused and turned to Aria. "There's still the issue of you."

"M-Me?" Aria questioned scared. "Pl-Please just let me go. I-I won't –"

"Oh, there you go." Lubbock said, interrupting her. Apparently, her begging reminded him of a time before as he then wiggled his finger at her. "No, I'm not falling for that. I killed a girl before you when she begged. She was cute and all, of course, but you…you're not close to that considering what you and your family did. But at least you'll be meeting them in hell…along with your boyfriend." He then pointed back at Ben.

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Ben retorted angrily.

Being restrained was one thing, but putting him as a psychotic girl's boyfriend was another. It made him feel disgust as a big douse of annoyance led him to struggle again. But Lubbock was right about one thing, the threads were beginning to hurt. They were slowly digging into his skin.

However, whether Lubbock was hurting the two humans any further was unknown as he stood in a position where he looked at the two. He had that serious look back on his face as his fist tightened around the threads before he spoke again.

"Well time to end this." He said openly.

"Hmph…you have no idea." Ben murmured in a serious tone.

Though the threads kept him bound, there was one thing the teen could do. He mentally prepared for the pain he would endure before then biting down on his tongue as he raised his Omnitrix arm from the tree, much to the threads digging into his skin. But the latter didn't matter to him. He held back his scream as much as he could as blood began flowing out before the Omnitrix's faceplate slide out for its core to pop out. The teen hero didn't know which alien he would get, but he figured it was something that would be better than what he was currently going through.

So before Lubbock could react, Ben immediately acted. He slammed his arm back on the tree, causing his body to be engulfed in a flash of green light. It led his body to grow rapidly in an accelerated rate as the threads holding him were broken before the tree that held him was knocked down with his transformation finally revealed.

" **HUMONGOUSAUR!"** Ben bellowed with his arms up in the air.

"Holy Shit." Lubbock cursed as his eyes widened. The assassin hadn't expected his captive to break free of his threads, talk less of using his Teigu.

But now that Lubbock saw the transformation, he took in the detail of the creature all in one look. The teen was a twelve feet tall brown creature with a long tail, large stubby feet and green eyes, while possessing clothes such as black briefs with a white waistband and a green sash across his chest, speaking of which had a hexagon-hourglass symbol at the middle.

So in short, Humungousaur was an impressive, terrifying-looking creature. He landed on the ground with the ground shaking immediately, before turning his attention at the green haired assassin with a monstrous glare. His action was then followed with a stomp of his right foot on the ground, which caused the earth to shake once again, this time more violently that it caused a split in the ground to form as it headed for the assassin's way.

Lubbock, however, was able to take quick action. He jumped to his right before the split could reach him, before turning his head at Humungousaur in mid-air, ready to go on the offense. But before he could, Humungousaur swiftly turned his attention at him with a powerful clap that the very sound sent his flying against a tree hard.

"Argh!" Lubbock grunted.

If the assassin was like Bulat or Leone, he would've been able to take the hit easy. But being human with human weakness, the impact to the ground knocked him out before his body slammed against the ground on his front. As for his attacker, his attention was turned to Aria, who screamed as her bonds loosened and she began to fall. She would've in fact hit the ground if not that Humungousaur lunged at her, skid his body on the ground, before reaching his huge hand out to grab her fall below.

"I got you." Humungousaur said with a relief.

If Aria had fallen, there wasn't much that could be said that happened. She could've broken more bones or be fated into something worse considering how fragile her body was. Fortunately, the alien hero didn't have to think of that as he softly placed the blond girl on the ground before standing up just in time for the timeout sequence to change him back to normal.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ben asked with a concerned look at Aria.

"I…I guess." Aria answered with a low voice. She made sure not to make eye contact as she looked to the ground and rubbed her arm. Being unable to stand or walk sucks, almost as much as the constant danger she was in.

Ben, on the other hand, didn't read so much into her response. The reason for this was because he didn't want to push it any further than it already was. So with his fingers on the Omnitrix's faceplate, the circle hologram appeared once again as he began growing through various aliens.

"Don't worry I'll get us out of here." Ben said without looking at the girl. "That sniper from earlier might still be around, so our best bet to get out of here is Ghostfreak."

' _Ghostfreak?'_ Aria questioned in thought. She turned her attention back at Ben before realizing what he was talking about.

But before any words could be said, a rustle in the bushes was heard. It caught Aria's attention, and took Ben's face to look forward as a familiar person walked into view. It wasn't Lubbock though; he was still unconscious behind Ben. But it was a familiar busty blond with feline ears, long hair and a tail.

"Hi! Funny meeting you here!" Leone exclaimed with a cheerful smile. She had her hand up, waving frantically at the teen hero, who was surprised to see her.

"Wait, I know you." Ben said. He recognized the young woman from before, at a time she didn't attack, before putting his arms down and pointing at her. "You're that woman with Akame."

"Oh, you know Akame's name?" Leone questioned. She also had her hand down at that point, before a pout came over her face. "No fair, Akame gets all the attention these days."

"Um…that's not what I was talking about." Ben replied, taken aback comically.

"Oh, good." Leone said and smirked. "By the way, the name's Leone. I'll be the one to kill you, so don't take it the hard way. I'm just following boss's orders."

"Oh…" Ben said and paused. The finger he had pointed at her dejected as he took in what he was just told. "Okay? But you do realize saying it that way doesn't make me feel better, right? Besides, I thought for a second you would be different…I can see I was wrong."

"You were." Leone said and shrugged her shoulders. "But like I said, I'm just taking orders. If it were up to me, I would suggest joining us. We could use someone like you."

"I see." Ben acknowledged with a straight look. Another member of Night Raid was offering him a place in their ground again. But like before, Ben's mind was already made. In fact, he emphasized this by standing before Aria with his fingers already close to the Omnitrix. "Well sorry to break it you, but your friends already tried that. So if you don't back down, then I'll force you."

"Oh, you got a lot of spunk." Leone gleamed with a grin. She then followed this by getting into a fight stance."I like that in a man."

For some reason, this made the teen hero to shudder. It also made him to lose his moment for a second, before he shook it off with a shake of his head. The last thing he needed was to have the enemy get in his head.

"Come on, Fourarms!" Ben cried out.

The teen hero selected through the alien holograms on the Omnitrix before slamming his hand down on the core. But when the transformation began, it didn't end as he intended. The usual flash of green light subsided as expected, but with Ben standing as a familiar humanoid Benegal tiger.

" **RAAAATTTTHHHH!"** He cried out loud.

 ***********(LINE BREAK)**************

 **WOOOOW! That was so much! It was over thirteen thousaaaaand!**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for your support. I was planning to make this chapter longer, but decided against it to leave more open for the future fight coming.**

 **So if you don't get how Night Raid is working against Ben, here it how it was. Bulat and Akame were to take on Ben, while Tatsumi and Ieyasu were to back them up if necessary. Mine was the lookout in case Ben wasn't alone or if he was able to escape from Akame and Bulat or Leone and Lubbock who were also to cut him off if he tried to escape.**

 **So about the fight, I get the feeling I should defend it. I've read some of the reviews that suggest Ben should use certain aliens in the fight, which honestly was something I enjoyed reading. But for those who may feel this fight wasn't good enough let me explain something about Night Raid. Night Raid aren't pushovers. They are an elite group of assassins who are very strong (depending on the member), smart and clever in a battle and very experienced in their various skills. If they see a weakness in an enemy, they're not going to hesitate to not take it (like how Akame attacked in first, and the time she hit the Omnitrix symbol, Bulat using sneak attacks and Lubbock trapping the hero and Aria). Heck, when it comes to powerful foes, they push themselves to the limit to win. So even with Ben's aliens, some of his forms would find it difficult to beat them unless he either changes into a more qualified alien to take them down or does something to turn the fight in his favor. Now this isn't to say they're better than Ben, it just means we shouldn't treat them as something less.**

 **Now about Ben, there are some points I want to bring up that another reviewer stated. We should keep in mind that even with the most powerful device in the world; it doesn't mean Ben is very good with his choices sometimes. He has shown continuously in his show's franchise that even when he turns into the right alien, it doesn't mean it would work out like he intends. His aliens have weaknesses, so against experts like Night Raid doesn't mean the fight would be an easy walk in the park.**

 **When I write crossovers, including fight scenes, I don't depower or try to level one character over another unless a situation calls for it. I actually try to come close to how those characters would be like in their various shows if they collided. It's not to say Ben isn't better than Night Raid or more powerful though. I'm just saying we shouldn't fall into the thought that Ben would end the fight in an instant. He has faults, and so does the Omnitrix. Besides, he was trying to protect Aria, so he didn't have many options in the fight.**

 **Soooooooooo….who wants to know who lives in this fanfic compared to their manga/anime counterpart? Well good news! I decided after some thinking to let you know at least one person that will live this through. So without any delay, the person who is going to live is…..SPEAR!**

" **Wait, who's Spear?" You ask. Well she's that girl that was killed by Esdeath's bodyguards and had her face skinned off…Gross, right? Fortunately, Ben would come to her rescue and impact her life than what we never saw in the manga/anime. I could go on and say how that would happen, but I'll keep that quiet for now. But just so you know, just because certain pairings didn't win, doesn't actually mean that certain characters will die. I'm not guaranteeing that characters like Sheele and Chelsea will make it alive, but it's just best not to think on that yet.**

 **Also in reply to those who asked for certain aliens to show up, there are aliens I won't bring up yet. It's either because they're too powerful (hence, they'll make certain fights anticlimatic) or because I feel they won't work for a certain situation. There's also the part about the ultimates, which I'll say again aren't in the Omnitrix until I come across bringing them later in the fanfic.**

 **Thank you all for your support. Please keep it up for more updates. This current arc is a three-part, so look forward to the next chapter and the one after that. I can assure you that it will be intense. Please keep reviewing, favorting and following this story. Your support gives me the strength to continue.**


	6. Attack, Fight and…Eliminate the user Pt2

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you so much for your support. A lot of you seem pretty hyped for this chapter, seeing as it's going to be a Leone vs Rath fight. I'm well aware that this has been done before, but I thought I should give a spin at it because…why not? I want to unleash the true potential of Rath and Leone, hence why Lubbock's role was cut short. Originally, the last chapter would've ended with a faceoff against him before Leone showed up. But I was so excited to write Leone into the fight that I said "Fuck it. You're going to be knocked out, so I can get to Leone." Besides, writing Lubbock's fight scene would've made this chapter unnecessarily longer.

As for the previous chapter also, I had this idea where Bulat or Akame slice Ben's Omnitrix arm before he could transform into Big Chill until I thought it was a bit gory and not needed. The idea was to show how responsive Night Raid can be to an enemy who they've seen doing the same thing over again. But like I said, it was not needed.

So with nothing else to say, on with the chapter.

 **Chapter 6: Attack, Fight and…Kill the Omnitrix user? Part 2**

" **WAIT, RATH!?"**

Ben paused as realized what just happened. He looked at his arms, before looking down at his body before then letting out a frustrated huff of breath, followed by a facepalm.

" **Why does Rath even bother anyway?."** Rath asked rhetorically.

"So are you going to fight or not?" Leone said suddenly. She stood with her guard down as she titled her head, likely confused by Ben's form. "Is that really Humungousaur, because I saw you as a different creature when I was coming here and this one doesn't look like –"

" **I know!"** Rath yelled angrily. He put his hand back at his side, before using it to then point accursedly at Leone. " **Lemme tell you something, Leone, the assassin with busty chest that wants to kill Rath! You want a piece of Rath? You got a piece! But you just bit a knife that's bigger than your stomach can chew!"**

' _Pervert!"_ Aria thought and shot a glare at Rath.

As for Leone, she was confused. "That made no sense." she stated.

" **I knooow!"** Rath yelled.

Once that happened, the inevitable happened. The alien hero let out a battle cry before charging at Leone, who responded by charging at him with a smirk on her face. The two feline-type combatants were so into the moment that they almost instantly closed the gap, with an exchange of blows at each other that soon followed.

Rath was the first one to send the first hit. He swung a left hook punch at Leone's face, which made contact, before the female assassin let out a groan and sent a left-fist uppercut to his jaw. The impact after that caused Rath to groan out before retaliating with a backhanded swing at her, to which she ducked. Before the alien hero could then react, Leone came right up with both hands held together and hit him upward with such force that the alien hero was sent flying backwards.

But before he hit the ground, Rath reacted to it. He was able to touch his hand on the ground, before doing a back flip which resulted in him landing on his feet and skidding backwards. Leone's attack was truly a surprise, but not enough to put Rath down. However, once he came to a stop, he looked forward and saw Leone running at him with such speed that Rath sent his fist forward for her face.

But it didn't happen like he thought. Leone was able to move out of the way just in time, as she then tightened her right fist and made a jump for Rath's face. The alien hero only had a few seconds left to react to this before the female assassin made contact with his face by her face, causing him to stumble back. But as that happened, she grabbed the arm Rath tried to use against her, pulled him off his feet, before spinning him once and throwing him off to a direction, through trees.

Each tree Rath was sent through came down in an instant as force was applied. There was no way he could stop it nor the motion of it until he knocked down the third tree and lay on top of it.

"Well…that was it?" Leone questioned with a disappointed tone.

For obvious reasons, the young woman didn't like how the fight went. She was herself facing the place she threw Rath, when she then placed her hands on her hips and continued. "Maybe I overdid it…But then again I have taken down bigger Danger Beasts before."

But then, the unexpected happened from Rath. The alien hero got back on his feet with a snarling look on his face, before tightening his fists as he stood boldly before Leone.

" **Lemme tell you something, Leone, the assassin with the busty chest that wants to kill Rath! You just made Rath mad!"** yelled the angry hero. **"In fact, you just made it worse for yours because now you're gonna get the beat down of a lifetime!"**

"Oh." Leone smirked.

The female assassin couldn't help but like hearing this. Rath was eager to finish her off, though to what extent that could be depends. The alien hero just leapt forward at Leone with his arms down, before sending them down on the female assassin.

" **Cosmic Drop!"** Rath called out.

However, he missed at the last second. The reason was Leone, who leapt back just in time to avoid his attack. She watched as his fists hit the ground hard, before feeling it shake the ground to the point that it made her stumble. Apparently, Rath's attack was so strong that it caused a few meters of cracks to appear on the ground in an instant.

However, none of that mattered then. Rath was able to immediately switch back to another attack as he charged at the female assassin with a battle cry, while keeping his eyes on her. He was able to close the distance between them before throwing another punch in an attempt to hit her. Unfortunately for his, he failed due to Leone making another leap back, this time landing on top of a tree branch facing him.

But that wasn't to say it stopped Rath. In fact, it just angered him enough to charge at the tree she was on with a loud roar. **"You're not getting off that easy, pussy!"** Rath cried out in anger. He then jumped forward at the tree and sent his fist against its base. **"Atomic collider fist punch!"**

Suddenly, the tree shook violently as it broke apart. The base shattered almost instantly, much to Leone's minor surprise, before falling to the front-left direction, precisely at a familiar unconscious figure.

' _Shit! Lubbock's in the way!'_ Leone thought.

The female assassin now had two choices. She could just jumped off the tree and let her comrade die, or still jump off the tree and be fast enough to grab him before the tree fell entirely. It was a good thing this decision was so hard for her then.

Leone's speed wasn't something to underestimate, especially at a time like that moment. It was how she had survived many attacks before, with that being the case as she then jumped down, swiftly took Lubbock's body under her arm and ran out just before the tree landed instantly and coming to a stop.

' _Well that could've gone better.'_ Leone thought to herself. _'I can't believe I had to save his perverted ass.'_

However, that wasn't to say she regretted saving him. In fact, she was fine with it. But as she placed Lubbock's unconscious body on the ground and turned back to Rath, she noticed something wrong. The alien hero was gone.

"Huh? Where did he go?" Leone questioned.

For a brief moment after, she was confused by his absence. But a second later, that all changed. Her animal instincts immediately kicked in as it made her become defensive at that very moment. This meant her arms were up at her chest level, by her sides, while she looked around suspiciously as her as her feline ears moved frantically.

Suddenly, she heard a shift in the air, followed by a shadow on top of her. It started out the size of a man, before increasing rapidly to the point that it was obvious at who it was. Hence, as she looked up she saw Rath coming down on her with his arms open, before making a jump back and landing perfectly on the ground.

As for Rath, what happened next was expected. His body made contact with the ground, on his front, followed by a pained look on his face as he groaned. Leone didn't know for sure why he did such a reckless move, as what he did caused her snicker. It made her almost feel sorry she had to end the fight…almost.

The female assassin always enjoyed a good fight; it was a bad habit of hers. But with the instruction she got from Najenda earlier, she knew she had to end the fight as soon as possible. Hence, she walked over to Rath, clutched his head tightly, before lifting his upper body upper and wrapping her arms around his head to snap it.

"Sorry, lad, but this is where it ends. It was kind of fun." Leone said with a sly smirk.

Right now Leone's chance to kill the alien hero was open to her, more than her comrades. But just as she thought that, her eyes became a bit widened when her animal instincts went off. It was alerting her about something. However, it was too late once Rath cocked a grin.

" **Gotcha!"** Rath yelled.

Just then, before Leone could react then, it was too late. The alien hero sent his arms over his shoulders and slapped both hands against the sides of her face. The impact of that simultaneous attack caused Leone to feel a great pain as she felt badly dazed before letting him go and stumbling back. But before she could recover, Rath got back on his feet, turned to her and grabbed her by the face and lifting her entire body up in the air.

" **Remember when Rath said you're in for a beat down of a lifetime?! This is what Rath meant!"**

So with said, Rath did the unexpected; he stoned her head against the ground. He let out a loud cry when he did it, before bashing the back of her head against the ground again which in turn made huge cracks. But just as he did that, he lifted her up in the air, this time spinning around rapidly until he came to stop and threw her upwards in the air, only to jump up at her when she came down with a move in mind.

" **Serious butt kickin!"** Rath shouted.

Once that was out, the alien hero kicked her off like a football. The female assassin had no way to control her body as she was sent flying into a tree's branches, receiving the impact. Her body went through the numerous branches until she fell right down on her ground with a loud groan.

If Leone was in her human form, this would've been bad. Fortunately, due to her current form, she could feel herself recovering at a good pace. Sadly, that didn't mean she didn't feel a lot of pain as she groaned and stumbled back on her feet.

' _Damn…he actually got me.'_ Leone thought with a surprised tone. But that changed when a bit of spite came across her face. _'No one gets a drop on me and lives.'_

However, the chance to strike wasn't there yet. In fact, no sooner did she get up did Rath came charging at her with his arms crossed around his chest.

" **Anterior Arm bar!"** Rath shouted loudly.

But he didn't get to bash into his opponent like he intended. The reason was Leone, who immediately jumped to her right just in time to avoid Rath's collision. She could've faced him head-on, but knew it would be dangerous. Hence, Rath ended up hitting the tree and knocking it down to the ground.

At the same time, Leone landed safely on the ground on all fours. She could already feel her head getting better, as her eyes were glaring angrily at Rath. She then got back on her feet, while Rath turned to her, before placing her right leg forward and tightening her fist.

"Here's a little something about me, lad! I like giving sneak attacks, not receiving it!" Leone yelled angrily.

" **So what, you want to go all out or cry to your momma?! Then fine!"** Rath retorted and pointed at her. **"But just so you know, Rath's gonna make sure you eat those words until there's no room in that stomach of yours to eat them!"**

"Ugh! That also makes no sense!"

" **I know!"**

If tension between these two weren't high before, there certainly were now. Leone and Rath had a glaring face off for a few seconds before letting out powerful battle cries and charging at each other in peak speed. But that wasn't all to it. No, it was the fact that when both approached each other and tried to punch each other, their fists made contact with each other to so much force that the ground beneath them cracked.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Both feline-like beings cried out furiously.

From the looks of it, both fighters seemed to be in an unexpected tie with each other. Rath's fist couldn't surpass Leone, who at the same time couldn't surpass Rath's strength. But once their voices were heard, both pulled back their fist, with Rath taking the first move.

The alien hero wasted no time there and then as he threw both fists down on the female assassin.

" **Cosmic Drop!"** Rath yelled.

Leone had no time to dodge or jump back in response. She did see the attack coming though, but in the seconds she had left could only act in defense. This meant her, raising her wrist up to receive the brunt of the attack, before gritting her teeth to suppress a groan as her body endured. Apparently, Rath's attack had come in so strong that it caused cracks to form under her feet, while she stayed in placed with bent knees.

' _I can't lose to him. Not here…not ever!'_ Leone thought determinedly.

Hence, the female assassin pulled off the unexpected. She let out a loud cry as she pushed upwards against Rath's pressuring hands until she was almost standing fully on her feet. Then, before the alien hero knew it, she swiftly kicked him hard at the chest with such force that he groaned and released his pressure on her

But she didn't end there at all. In fact, the female assassin saw an opportunity right in front of her. This was obvious as she fell backwards to land on her arms, while simultaneously shooting her legs at Rath's neck and securing it. Before the alien hero could then react, she lifted him of the ground with a pull and sent him flying over her in an instant.

However, the result didn't go like she expected. Rath did a flip by with his hands touching the ground, before landing on his feet with his back at her. But when he turned to her, Leone suddenly made a leap at him with her fist coming straight for his face, if not that he then raised his right arm to receive the blow. Unfortunately, the impact was more than unexpected for Rath as it caused him to skid back a few feet away before coming to a stop. At the same time, his opponent landed on her feet, glaring at him.

"Had enough, big boy?!" Leone yelled with a frustrated tone.

" **You wish!"** Rath retorted. **"I don't know about you, but maybe your fat chest is putting too much into that head of yours!"**

Leone growled in response to this. She had tried to hold back right there, until now she didn't see any reason to do so. Rath's retort crossed the line as far as she was concerned, just to the point that she charged at her fast.

"Oh now you're in for it!" Leone yelled angrily.

" **That's Rath's line!"** Rath yelled back.

Not surprising, the alien hero then charged at her. He and Leone were closing the gap between them in a rapid pace that their fists immediately made contact as they exchanged blows. Rath sent a right hook punch at Leone's face, to which she groaned before launching an uppercut to his chin followed by a small jump and a left hook punch to the face. The attack caused Rath to groan in response, before then swinging a right hook punch which hit Leone and caused her to spin as she took in the hit. But in response, she swiftly did a back kick at his stomach with so much force that Rath stumbled back with a groan.

But after that attack, Rath found himself a bit taken aback. Leone swiftly turned to him and delivered an uppercut so strong that it sent him flying off his feet, with an immediate quick reaction. The alien hero was able to do a back flip like before, but this time striking his wrists claw into the ground as his skid backwards.

' _This lad doesn't know when to stay down huh.'_ Leone thought, feeling frustrated.

However, the thought did little to enlighten the situation. The reason for that was Leone as she charged towards Rath, who in return stood full on his feet and charged at her. The gap between them was closed almost instantly from their speed until Leone sent her fist forward, only to then be surprised by the alien hero.

" **Mega tackle suplex!"** Rath yelled out.

In the seconds Leone threw that punch, the alien hero moved out of the way before wrapping his left arm around her stomach, much to her shock. But before she could react, Rath got to her back, wrapped his other arm around her chest before bending backwards and letting her hit the floor hard, with her head feeling the force.

But the alien hero didn't stop there. He let go of Leone and watched the rest of her body hit the floor, before reaching his hand out to grab her. But before he could touch her, Leone suddenly sprang her head at his hand and bit down on it.

" **OW!"** Rath shouted in shock and pain.

Being bitten by the other feline was totally unexpected. It caused the superhero to pull his hand back and hold it, with his eyes looking at his hand to see bite marks.

" **You bite Rath!"** Rath said in the most obvious.

However, Leone didn't care about it. She quickly took that moment to let out a battle cry, followed by getting on her feet as she charged at Rath. Before the alien hero could react, the female assassin did the same thing he did and knocked him to the ground and stepping back.

"Hmph! How do you like the taste of that?!" Leone yelled with a furious glare.

At the same time, Rath let out a groan. He got up to his feet and grabbed the back of his head, before muttering under his breath. **"Ugh…Rath's not used to being in the end of that."**

Fortunately, he was able to recover over that attack easily. Hence, his usual glaring eyes were back at Leone as he then tightened his fist. **'Lemme tell you something, Leone, the female assassin with the busty hest that wants to kill Rath, now it's really on!"**

"Bring it!" Leone shouted back.

The instant that happened, both felines charged at each other again. They didn't think for a second of what would happen to the other, nor did it matter. They just instantly closed the gap and began exchanging blows at each other yet again.

Meanwhile, Aria watched the whole fight unfold. She was still sitting on the ground, unable to stand up, as the fight went on for an amount of time that she didn't know. It seemed for her that both feline-type beings were evenly matched as both of them refused to give in to the other person's beating. But it's not like she could do anything about it.

' _That assassin is crazy…but so is Rath.'_ Aria thought with an observant look. _'I just hope for my sake that he wins and gets me out of here.'_

Suddenly, both felines collided again with one another. The only difference though, was the fact that both held one another and began tightening their grip on what they held. Leone had each of her hands on Rath's wrist, while the alien hero had his hands on her shoulder. It was a face off unlike any the two of them had faced as both were yelling in loud voices while enduring the other persons strength

 ***********(LINE BREAK)*********

Having left the riverside, Akame, Bulat, Tatsumi and Ieyasu made a run through the forest for Ben and Aria. They had heard a gunshot, followed by the sound of something crashing until they turned to the direction of what sounded like a fight. They were close, or at least Akame and Bulat was, while Tatsumi and Ieyasu tried to catch up.

"Bro and Akame are fast." Tatsumi commented.

"Yeah, there's no way we can catch up to them at this rate." Ieyasu added.

The speed which the two were going was admirable, but not as remarkable as Bulat and Akame. At this point, the two assassins were almost out of their sight if not that Bulat came to a stop and waited for them to get to him.

"Bro?" Tatsumi questioned, confused.

It goes without saying that Ieyasu felt the same. He wondered what the older assassin wanted and so came to a stop with Tatsumi as Bulat stood before them.

"Tatsumi, Ieyasu, I need you both to do something special." Bulat stated.

"Oh…" Ieyasu muttered. Then he became a bit offensive. "This better not a newbie role again."

"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi snapped at his friend.

Fortunately, Bulat took the whole thing lightly as he continued.

"It's none of that." Bulat assured. Then he continued. "Right now we have two targets. The first is Ben and the other is the rich girl, Aria. The young man is our main priority, but with his constant protection over Aria it won't be easy. So what I need from both of you is this. Akame and I and whoever is fighting with Ben will keep him from interfering in your way."

"Our way?" Tatsumi questioned, now confused.

However, Ieyasu seemed to understand what Bulat said. It made his face to change to a dark determined one.

"Kill Aria." Ieyasu stated. "Don't worry, bro, you can count of us. Right, Tatsumi?"

"Oh, yes." Tatsumi nodded in response.

"Yes!" Bulat gave a thumbs up in response.

But then something unexpected happened. The older assassin took both boys under his arms, much to their protest, before running through the forest almost like a blur.

"Akame has the head start, so we're going to have to be quick." Bulat stated during the run. "For now, just hang on until we get there."

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu nodded in response. They didn't like the position they were in though, but understood the reason why. Bulat's speed covered so much time that they could see Akame running before coming to a stop when Bulat noticed something.

At the same time, Akame noticed it and came to a stop. The thing she and Bulat saw was Leone, who was flying backwards at their direction until they moved out of the way and let her body hit a boulder close by.

Not surprising, the impact was hard, though Leone endured it. She let out a groan as she sat up, before letting out another one and standing back on her feet.

"Well that could've gone better." Leone murmured with a groan.

"Leone." Akame called.

"Huh?"

By being called, Leone turned to the direction of the voice. Akame was at her further left, while Bulat, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were at her further right facing her. The two boys were back on their feet, as all eyes were on her.

"Akame…Bulat…Tatsumi…Ieyasu." Leone called out. Her voice sounded a bit confused as each name she called was her basically turning to the individual. "You're here." She said.

"Of course we are." Ieyasu replied. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Leone opened her mouth to respond. But before she could, everyone felt a presence coming from the same direction Leone was seen flying from earlier and turned to it. Not so surprising the presence turned out to be Rath, who stood with a snarling look on his face as he came to a stop.

" **So you brought your friends?! Fine! Rath was getting bored of you anyway!?"** Rath said in his usual manner.

Leone gritted her teeth in response. The spite she felt for the alien hero was back as she immediately shot a glare at him. But before she replied, Tatsumi beat her to it with a shocked look on his face as familiarity of the creature came to mind.

"Rath?"

Now it was Bulat's turn to respond.

"You know this form?" The armored assassin asked.

"Yeah." Tatsumi answered and nodded. He still had his eyes on the alien hero as he continued. "Rath's a transformation Ben used to save Sayo and scare Ieyasu one time. He's big and very strong, but very aggressive and dumb, so you guys should be able to take him on."

" **Hey, who you calling dumb, Tatsumi?!"** Rath yelled angrily. " **And another thing…"** He then pointed accursedly at him. **"Don't go about telling people about Rath! Who side are you on?!"**

"Not your side!" Tatsumi retorted. He had his face at Rath with a glare.

" **Oh…right…Night Raid."** Rath muttered. His usual aggressive personality seemed to be gone as his mind wrapped around the concept. But a second later he mashed his fist into his open hand and returned back to his character. **"Fine! Rath's not going to go easy on you, so be ready for a beat down!"**

"Actually, we're not facing you." Tatsumi replied. Bulat's plan earlier had come to mind as it made him relax a bit. That was then followed with him turning to Ieyasu with a nod before turning his attention to Bulat. "We leave the rest to you, bro."

"Yes!" Bulat replied and nodded.

This confused the alien hero though. He stared at Tatsumi and Ieyasu rather suspiciously, before watching them run off through the forest for a specific location. It took the alien hero a second later to realize where they were going, to which he responded by turning his head back.

" **Oh no you don't!"** Rath shouted.

However, the alien hero didn't get far. Bulat intervened, as he leapt from his position and swung his spear at Rath, who heard him coming and then jumped a few feet back. The result of that was Bulat standing on where the alien hero once stood with both his hands holding the spear as he stood in a battle stance.

"Eyes on me, Rath!" Bulat stated bluntly.

Rath growled lowly in response. The situation didn't look good for him from the look of it. But just it seemed it couldn't get any worse, Leone walked forward and stood a few feet by Bulat's side, cracking her fists with a grin on her face.

"I guess I won't get the chance to beat that ass of yours alone." The female assassin commented.

But the bad signs of the situation didn't end there. In fact, it only got worse when Rath turned to leave, only for Akame to then land right before him with her katana in hand.

"Nowhere to go, lad." Leone stated. "But don't worry, you'll be meeting that girl in hell soon enough."

Rath growled in a low tone in response again. His temper was rising as frustration on the stuck situation was becoming prominent in his mind. He could face Akame, Bulat and Leone, but there was the fact that Aria would be killed if he didn't act quickly. So with that, a good idea came into mind as he tightened in fists.

" **Lemme tell you something, Night Raid, when you put Rath in a tight position, there's only one thing you get out of it! And that's this!"**

The alien hero immediately struck the ground with his fists' claw digging right into it. The result that happened after was a shockwave which caught Night Raid by surprise, but nonetheless able to react. Leone was able to jump back onto a branch, while Bulat raised his spear downwards to receive the blunt of the force. As for Akame, she leapt over Rath, who then took that chance to run away as fast as he could.

At the same time, Aria let out a scream. She saw Tatsumi and Ieyasu heading towards her, with speed that was rapidly closing the gap, as she could do nothing but stay in place. She did then try to crawl backwards with her arms but found that to be useless as the two young men came running towards her.

' _No, this can't be it!'_ Aria thought with fright. _'I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!'_

Unfortunately, her state didn't matter at all. Begging for her life wouldn't work and neither would any attempt to persuade them would change their mind. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were deadlock, with their weapons raised at their shoulders length, to kill her.

Good thing for her that Rath was right behind them. The two young men were fast, but Rath was faster due to his enhanced animalistic abilities that allowed him to be. But as he closed in, Akame suddenly caught up with him from the back and swung her katana blade at his back, tearing his flesh covered fur with blood coming out and the poison getting into his bloodstream.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Rath cried out in pain.

Akame's attack came as a total surprise, just as much as it hurt. It caused Rath to stumble forward, but then with a back kick at the female assassin that attacked him. Unfortunately for him, Akame jumped back and landed safely on his feet before watching Rath struggling to stay on his feet. The poison from Murasame was taking effect on him.

One thing about Akame's teigu was known for was its poison. It didn't matter how big the creature was, one strike was all she needed to take on its life. Hence, the reason Rath groan as he fought the urge to succumb to its deadly effect. He could still see Tatsumi and Ieyasu getting close to Aria, before then letting out a powerful roar to hype up his adrenaline and frustration.

There was little time Rath had left, as soon his life could end. He could've changed back, but the thought of Aria dead was something he wanted to prevent. Hence, he let out another battle cry and leapt forward at Tatsumi and Ieyasu with arms spread forward at a last ditch to save Aria.

Unfortunately, the alien hero may be too late. Tatsumi and Ieyasu sent their weapons down on Aria, who let out a final scream as she immediately shut her eyes closed. She didn't want to witness her own death, especially at how gruesome it would be.

However, before the blades made contact, Rath intervened. He landed right behind the duo and grabbed him by the back with each of his hand, before throwing them aside from one another to the ground. The fact that he made such a feat was impressive, but came with a cost as he fell on his knees and then on his front entirely.

"Huh?" Aria muttered, confused. _'I'm not dead?'_ She thought.

The blond rich girl thought at this point she would be. But as she opened her eyes and raised her arms to her face, she realized she was really alive. However, in doing so she noticed Rath lying on the ground with a huge gash at his back.

"Ben?" Aria muttered.

Then a horrific thought came to mind. Rath was unresponsive. His body lay quiet on the ground, while her face changed to that of horror and fear before she reached her hand and shook his head.

"No…come on. Get up dammit!" Aria shouted. "Get up please! You can't die on me!"

Sadly, the alien hero didn't respond. His quiet remained quiet as no indication was made that he was alive. It was depressing and sad, as Aria finally let out some tears and clutched the head of the alien hero.

************(LINE BREAK*************

"Finally, it's over." Mine commented. "Akame took him down."

The pink haired girl had seen it all happened. She had seen the fight with Lubbock, the fight with Leone and what transpired until that moment Rath fell. So while it was saddening to a certain blond, she was satisfied as she still had her Pumpkin slung on her shoulder before turning to her friend, Sheele. "You should get down there. I'll keep watch just in case." She said.

"Okay." Sheele replied and nodded.

******(LINE BREAK)**************

Back on the normal ground, Aria was still in that position. She was silently crying over what happened while at the same time catching the attention of the Night Raid members as they regrouped. Bulat and Leone emerged to the center, while Akame stood still watching with Tatsumi and Ieyasu back on their feet with mixed emotions.

"Is he…Is Ben really gone?" Tatsumi said, the thought making him to shake a bit. Sure, Ben was someone he was against, but he never imagined seeing him dead.

"Seems like it." Akame answered. Her voice was still monotone as ever.

However, something didn't sit well with Tatsumi. Aria, the psychotic girl, was crying. She was pleading for that matter as she seemed to not take notice of the Night Raid members standing before her. It was very strange.

"She's crying?" Tatsumi questioned. But Akame remained quiet.

At the same time, Ieyasu causally walked over to Aria without a word. "Tatsumi, I know what you may be thinking, but don't her fool you again. We have to finish the job." He said.

Tatsumi was silent in response. He turned at Akame, who was by his side, and saw her nod at him before taking in his best friend's words and changing his attitude. It was all he could do as he tightened his sword before walking over to Aria without her knowledge.

However, before any of them could get any close, a familiar whining sound was heard. It caught all of the present Night Raid's attention as it came from Rath, who then became engulfed by a flash of light that transformed him back to Ben. The young man's head was still at Aria's chest, when he let out a small moan before opening his eyes slowly.

"Men…what just –"

Ben came to a stop that second. The reason was because his face was directly at Aria's chest, where he could feel the very softness of it as his entire face began to blush. But as that happened, Aria was confused until it dawned her why and she blushed madly before pushing the teen away.

"AH! PERVERT!" Aria shrieked.

"Hey! Who are you calling a pervert!?" Ben yelled angrily. He was on the ground like Aria as this happened. "Last I remember I fell to the ground, not your chest!"

"Shut up!" Aria yelled back. "I bet you wanted to land on that assassin's huge breasts!"

"What?!"

"Don't deny it! You were calling them out before!"

"Oh…yeah." Ben muttered. He didn't seem taken aback by it though as he reflected what she said. "Yeah…I guess they were big. From where I'm from, girls aren't that big unless they have it by surgery."

"I knew it! You are a pervert!" Aria shouted and pointed accursedly at him.

"Wait, what?" Ben questioned with a lost look.

However, before Aria could respond, Leone's voice took over.

" **HEY, ASSHOLES, STOP TALKING ABOUT MY FUCKING CHEST!"**

"Huh?" Both Ben and Aria turned to her direction.

Then the thought of their predicament came rushing back to mind. The fight, the attempted killing and everything else up to that moment came to them. It made Aria to immediately shriek in fear, before crawling back a bit, while Ben sighed with a frustrated look on his face as he stood up. He didn't like how things have been going, especially with the fact that he almost died twice. But he had to put an end to it. Hence, his face became straightforwardly calm as he had his Omnitrix arm to his chest level, with his other hand a few feet at the faceplate.

"This has gone on long enough." Ben stated straightly. "We've been at each other for a long time that it's getting kind of annoying. That isn't to say I'll kill you, I don't work that way. But I will take you down some other way if I have to. So right now you and I have choice. Leave Aria and I alone or stay and face me at my best."

' _His best?'_ Aria thought, confused.

Ben's request then was unexpected as it seemed a bit out of his character. So far he had been lighthearted and aggressive (by Rath) in the fight that now it was a bit worrying to think he was holding back. In fact, just the thought of it got everyone a bit tense as they got into fighting stances, ready for what he meant.

"Sorry, lad, but that's not happening." Leone said with a straight face. "We're Night Raid. We don't let anyone walk free after going on this long."

"I see…" Ben muttered. His fingers then touched the Omnitrix's faceplate that it made the circle hologram to appear. "Then I guess I have no choice!"

The moment that was said, Ben went into action. He picked an alien form without looking at the Omnitrix, before the faceplate slide back and let the core pop up. The alien he had in mind was still unknown until he slammed his hand down on the device which then engulfed him in a flash of light that revealed his current form.

Unfortunately, it wasn't what the hero wanted. His current alien form was a creature that had green and yellow-skin ogre-like alien with a dark green cage helmet on his head. The metal helmet had two horns protruding from the sides of it while it also had a crest that is shaped into a toenail. The cage door had five bars, three of which were at the center of it. Also, connected to his cage is his armor which is wrapped around his shoulders and goes halfway down his chest, as well as it being connected to his pants by chains. The pants are just a simple pair of black underpants, with a metal waistline matches the color of his armor. Another thing noticeable about him were his arms which were long and misshapen, with weed like spikes coming out of them and his fingertips are pointy, while also possessing a visible belly button. As for the Omnitrix symbol, it was located at the helmet's extension covering his chest, with two green metallic protrusions accompanying the Omnitrix symbol on both sides.

"What the…" Ben paused. He noticed something was wrong, due to the fact that he felt entirely different from the form he wanted. But it made sense to him when he raised his yellow arms at his face and sighed. "Seriously, Toepick? So much for Alien X."

' _Alien X?'_ Aria questioned in her mind.

Ever since she has been with the teen hero, she hadn't learnt much from him. She knew the familiarity about the aliens, but not to the extension of asking about them to the hero. But that wasn't to say she was the only one who wondered that. In fact, just hearing the word Alien X made Tatsumi and Ieyasu shiver a bit as a memory came into mind. It made them glad Ben didn't turn into the alien he wanted.

' _He was willing to go there?'_ Tatsumi thought, feeling a bit relieved. He didn't show it though, as he stared narrowly at Ben as he continued. _'If Alien X is really the strongest like he stated a long time ago, we might have been in trouble. But still…what can Toepick do? Ben never mentioned him before.'_

On front appearance, Toepick didn't look that much threatening. He was chubby looking and at the same time didn't seem to have a good defense except for his head, which had his face hidden for some reason. However, none of that seemed to matter as the present Night Raid members charged at Ben simultaneously, not wanting to give the young man a chance.

But unknown to them, their action was the wrong move. Toepick stood in place and raise his hands to the back of his helmet to open the cage, which he successfully did. As a result, the metal bars of his caged face opened slowly in two before releasing green mist that was then followed by the sounds of terrified screams, agonized wailing, roaring, unholy groans and wails, hissing, and deep demonic laughter, with his true face being revealed to Night Raid.

In the past, the group of assassins had faced a lot of terrifying things. The Capital was, after all, an unspeakable cruel place where the worse of the worse resided just to treat those below them in terrible and sadistic ways. But imagine despite all this, the entire group came to a stop as looks of horror came on their face when their eyes met the true face of Toepick.

"WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Ieyasu screamed in pure look of horror.

The young black haired male's face turned pale in an instant. He couldn't feel the courage and determination he felt earlier, as that feeling was swept away in an instant as fear and horror came on his face.

However, he wasn't alone. Toepick's unspeakable face got into the very depth of each Night Raid's member as it crumbled the very mental walls they built the moment their bodies turned white as sheets and it caused them to scream.

"ST-STAY BACK!" Tatsumi screamed. The effect of Toepick was high as he backed away. "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

"STAY AWAY!" Bulat screamed as well.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Leone screamed too,

Akame, on the other hand, just screamed. She couldn't bring herself to scream out the words as already she was screaming. Toepick's ability was truly an unexpected attack as it not only had physical effect, but mentally. In fact, it was so unique that each member couldn't bear what they saw, as it then led to them falling to the ground unconscious.

"Well that went well." Toepick said, somewhat impressed. But as he said this, the Omnitrix began to beep and sound off until he was engulfed in a flash of green light that changed him back to normal. "And just in good time." He commented.

But unknown to him, that alien form of his had an effect on someone else. It was Aria.

' _What the…who are you?'_ Aria thought. Though she hadn't seen Toepick's face, she was fearful and in shock at how easily Night Raid were taken down. _'You…He just took down Night Raid without lifting a finger…Night Raid, the empire's most hated assassins were killed with just a single look of his face.'_

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh?" Aria snapped out of her thoughts.

Unknown to the girl up until that moment, she had been so sucked in her thoughts that she hadn't Ben until that moment. The young man was staring at with his hands on his knees, while looking concerned her as he continued. "Toepick didn't get to you, did he?"

"Nu…No." Aria lied.

"Right." Ben replied. He didn't believe her.

Aria's face was like an open book to Ben as it was obvious she was scared. But before Ben could question her, she turned back to the defeated Night Raid members and pointed at them.

"Did you just kill…"

"No." Ben said and stood up straight. "Toepick just scared them. They should be fine by the time they wake up."

"Oh okay." Aria replied. For some reason, she didn't like hearing that.

However, before anything could be said, something surprising happened. A small groan was heard from behind Ben as Aria's eyes then caught sight of familiar figure rising to her feet with a stagger. Her body was still pale and white due to Toepick's effect though, as each movement she made while clutching her Murasame was tough until she got back on her feet. But once she lifted her head at Ben, she let out an angered shout and charged at him.

"Ben, look out!" Aria shouted.

"Huh?" Ben questioned. He turned back as Aria's eyes were looking there, before jumping to his left just in time to avoid a slash of Akame's Murasame. When he turned to his attacker, he was surprised to see who it was. "Wait, you're still standing?" He questioned.

Akame didn't respond to him in words. She breathed heavily as her eyes were red like they were fighting back against something in her mind. Ben didn't know exactly what it could, but could guess it had to do with Toepick's scary face. But that wasn't the only thing the hero noticed.

' _She's slow.'_ Ben thought with observant serious eyes. _'If this was like the last the last time we fought, she could've killed me now. But Toepick's scare is still having an effect on her. But by the way she's moving it means she's fighting back against it. But that also means I have a better chance against her.'_

That was at least what he hoped. He could see the anger Akame held for him as she glared at him with her Murasame in her right hand, while enduring her weakening body. However, the scene before him didn't look pleasant, so he started up the Omnitrix to combat her. But by doing so, he triggered the female assassin, who in response dashed at him and swung her katana at him just at the same time as he slammed the Omnitrix's core and became engulfed in a flash of green light.

Too bad for her, she missed. Ben's transformation didn't make him taller, but rather shorter as he coincidently avoided another taste of the female's blade. When the light died down, Ben was revealed to be a short white alien whose body resembled a living amplifier.

" **Echo Echo."** The alien called out.

Suddenly, before Akame could attack, Echo Echo opened its mouth and let out a sonic blast. The attack hit Akame right in the chest and stomach, with such force that it sent her flying back. But before she could hit the ground, she sent her right hand down and did a black flip back that returned her to her feet.

Echo Echo was impressed by this. He hadn't met anyone who had withstood Toepick's scary face and still be able to fight. But then again this was the girl who was relentless to end his life.

" **I got to say, you sure know how to hold your own."** Ben said with an echo voice. **"Too bad I'm not giving up."**

Akame said nothing back in response. She kept her silent attitude as she tightened her shaky hand on her Murasame with the knowledge to keep her guard up. If she was in her one hundred percent, she may have been able to keep up with this new alien form. However, she wasn't, and at the same time lacked the potential knowledge of the alien.

Speaking of said hero, he immediately charged at her with a battle cry. But just when the distance was almost closed, he leapt into the air and split out five versions of himself, all who spread their arms out at the female assassin. But it didn't end there. Those five split themselves into another duplicate each, making the total ten, before coming down on Akame.

However, the trip down on the female assassin wasn't easy. The Echo Echo duplicates found this out as Akame swiftly chopped off each duplicate as fast as she could. It wasn't to say she was at her usual best, but it was something impressive. Unfortunately for her, her speed wasn't enough as the main Echo Echo landed on her face, clutching it. But before she could react, Echo Echo split into six duplicates, all who occupied her shoulders, head and chest.

' _Don't think perverted thoughts, Ben. No perverted thoughts.'_ thought Echo Echo six.

It was a good thing each Echo Echo was somewhat individually self-ware unlike Ditto. However, that wasn't to say Akame liked the groping and the amount of Echo Echo on her. It was too much on her recovering body, as each duplicate were trying to force her down. But as they tried, Akame quickly used her left hand, grabbed each Echo Echo by the back and threw them away into different direction.

" **Well that didn't work well."** said Echo Echo 2.

Akame's toss had been a surprise, but not one they weren't ready for. This was obvious as they land on their feet, skidding back until coming to a stop while facing Akame's from all sides. That was when one of them had an idea.

" **Plan B, everyone!"** Echo Echo 4 said.

" **Plan B!"** Echo Echo 5 repeated.

So with that, each Echo Echo charged at Akame. They didn't jump at her like last though, as each of them came to a stop before opening their mouths for a simultaneous attack. Hence, before Akame could react, they all let out a huge sonic blast.

" **SONIC BOOOM!"**

The moment their voices were out, each Echo Echo let out a huge sonic blast. Akame had no chance to avoid it as she was hit from all sides, causing her to scream out in pain.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Every hit from the Echo Echo duplicate hurt badly. The female assassin could feel the impact from all sides, as well as her ears, as each hit kept her unable to move. She did try to move though, in an attempt to slice the blade of Murasame at her left wrist for her trump card, but found it impossible. Echo Echo just kept on going until she let out a last scream and fell on her knees, then to the ground entirely, unconscious. Once that happened, the Echo Echos stopped and returned back to just being one, the main Ben, before he touched the Omnitrix symbol and changed back.

"Phew! That…That was something." Ben remarked with relief. Defeating Akame may have looked easy, but the teen hero had been worried a while back. He never knew the girl was this persistent until that moment he faced her. But now that the fight was over, he looked at the rest of Night Raid before going over to Tatsumi's unconscious body and standing by his side. "I'm so sorry I had to do that." Ben apologized with a sympathy face. "You and Ieyasu didn't deserve any of that. I hope you can forgive me one day."

However, not all was well like the hero expected. Aria was still present, while still on the ground in amazement at Ben's power. The hero was no doubt powerful, and possibly enough to oppose the empire on his own. But that wasn't what that then came to mind. No, it was when she looked at Akame again and turned her gaze to a small branch lying just inches from her before looking back at the unconscious assassin.

' _This is my chance…My chance to avenge my parents.'_ Aria thought vengefully. It wasn't long after that a dark sinister look came on her face, which then led to her to crawling over to the branch and picking it up with one hand. It didn't seem much, but in the hands of a killer like her it would end the life of someone, precisely Akame.

Good thing for her, Ben was busy with Ieyasu. The blond noticed him talking down on the unconscious young man before giving it no thought as she crawled over to Akame. It didn't matter to her that she was dirtying her clothes; she was already closing the distance between her and the assassin. The female assassin was unresponsive during that moment, especially when Aria finally was mere inches from her with her hand with the branch in hand, over her unconscious head.

"This is for everything, bitch!" Aria shouted.

At the same time, Ben turned just in time to see what Aria was doing.

"Aria, don't!" He shouted.

However, Aria didn't seem to listen. The wicked, psychotic look was now present on her face as the thought of vengeance was on her. But before she could, there were the rapid sounds of footsteps from the forest, before a female figure jumped out and landed some feet from Aria with her giant scissors, Extase, in both hands.

"Stay back!" Aria yelled angrily. "I'll actually kill her if you get any closer."

Sheele froze a bit and took a step back in response. The situation was far different from how Mine had put it. The Teigu user, Ben, was still alive while most of Night Raid was one the ground, with one of their lives at stack. Maybe if she had come earlier on time, she might have helped and prevented this.

However, none of that seemed to matter. Sheele may not be able to attack Aria while she held Akame as a hostage, but she knew for certain if the blond killed her friend, she'll swiftly end her life in seconds.

As for Ben, the young man was a bit panicked. But he knew what to do. Aria may be evil, but he had seen her good side a few times to know he might be able to reach that. However, if he was wrong and failed to save Akame, there may be too much blood than the hero could handle.

******************************************(

 **OHHH SNAPPPP! ARIA IS HOLDING AKAME HOSTAGE! WHO SAW THAT COMING?! I DID BECAUSE…WELL I'M THE AUTHOR!**

 **So that fight with Leone sure was something. But to be honest, it was kind of a stress for me. The reason is because I wanted to capture as much of the fight it would be if both Rath and Leone were ever to fight. That meant I had to keep both in character, as well as Rath's fighting techniques like in the series. Fortunately, in the end it was fun to do. Some of the names Rath calls out are from Alien Force and Omniverse, while the others are either made up or just both. It wasn't easy hearing some of the attacks he called out, so I made up some words and added it to the word I could hear.**

 **Btw what do you think of Toepick showing up? He's supposed to replace that ideal alien everyone wanted to take out Night Raid in one blow, even though Ben originally wanted Alien X. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I thought at first to replace him with Pesky Dust because I was worried Night Raid may sound OOC by Toepick's scary face, but I guess I'll leave it up to you to decide. As for the reasons, Akame was able to somewhat overcome effects of Toepick, it's due to willpower. In the anime and manga, we've been shown many times that an individual's willpower is able to help an individual overcome or endure certain tough situations. Besides, it's been explained that there are people that can withstand Toepick's scare (like Ma Vreddle). According to one of the people who worked on the show, he said Ma Vreedle has seen worse. So it goes without saying that Esdeath will be able to withstand Toepick's scare since she had seen far worse things, while Akame would be able to fight back against it though with difficulty since she too has seen worse things from her childhood, though not to the level of Esdeath.**

 **Now in response to some questions, I think it's best I explain it here. Ben won't have the master control. He will have some voice commands over the Omnitrix, but nothing different from his series.**

 **Originally, this chapter was meant to start with a flashback to when Ben first met Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu, but I'll leave that flashback to a special chapter.**

 **Thank you all for your continuous support. I loved reading your reviews, as well as seeing the number of favorites and followers increasing. Please keep it up! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible so we can go back on track with the manga.**


	7. Attack, Fight and Eliminate the user Pt3

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, murder and…Redemption?**

Once again, I would like to say a big thank you for your continuous support. It's your reviews, favorite and following of this fanfiction that keeps me going.

Before I get to the chapter, there's a review I wish to address, not just to the reviewer but also to all the readers, so please bear with this.

While it's true that Alien X is omnipotent (or close to that anyway) and wasn't needed by Ben to take down Night Raid, I can't help but agree and disagree. If you've watched all the episodes of Omniverse, there's an episode which has Ben use Alien X to fight the Plumbers kids and those Plumber superiors (I don't know how to spell their actual name). Also in the episode Ben first gains full control of Alien X, he's shown to not have a full idea of the alien when he was fighting the Galactic Gladiator. However, I plan on having Alien X brought up in the next chapter, with Ben mentioning why he doesn't use Alien X to fix everything…or basically be God. There were two previous chapters where I had Alien X mentioned and make a cameo. One of them was the time he saved Ieyasu, while the other was in that nightmare Ben had about Sayo. If you go back and read where Sayo shouts "It's a lie", Alien X was then supposed to appear as a proof of that. But because I felt both scenes were either too much or unneeded, I decided not to add them.

Thank you reviewer, Archon, for your interpretation of the last chapter. You stated things about it very well than I would've explained.

Now about Atomix, Archon was right. Let's not forget that Atomix is a walking nuclear bomb, so if he attacked a human being that person would die (which is what Ben didn't want), even though you were just emphasizing why Ben shouldn't use Alien X). As for why he didn't just take Aria away with Big Chill at first, well it's because Ben doesn't pick the right alien. He blames it on the Omnitrix when really it's just because he sometimes doesn't pay attention to it. Also, if he did turn into Big Chill, he would've been shot right back to the ground by Mine. Remember, Night Raid is an elite group of assassins; they know how to attack from different sides and places, and like Archon mentioned, everything happened so fast. Also, while Big Chill can turn intangible, he can't do the same with someone he's holding. Hence, even if he did, Aria would've fallen off once he did that.

Sorry for the long talk, I just thought I should have this all let out before getting to the chapter. Here it is now! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 7: Attack, Fight and…Kill the Omnitrix User? Part 3**

Over the years Ben has been a hero; he has faced and accepted a lot of things. After all, his hero life sometimes seems to have its ups and downs like a moving rollercoaster. But when he thought about, could he add that to his experience in another universe? Maybe, but who knew for sure. This world he was in had proven to be very different from his world and the world of Rex Salazar at the time he met the young man. At least that world held some morals despite the craziness.

However, none of that seemed to matter then. The reason was due to the position the young superhero found himself in yet again. This time, however, it was a hard situation that he has to be careful. In one side, Aria was threatening to kill Akame, and in the other there was another member of Night Raid, who would likely kill the girl once she went ahead and kill Akame.

"Aria, don't cross that line." Ben pleaded. He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible as he continued looking at the girl. "Akame is down, there's no reason to kill her."

"You stay out this, Ben!" Aria objected strongly. Despite looking at the hero's way, she still had the down side of the branch above Akame's head. "This is right! This bitch thinks she can constantly scare me with her damn katana! Well I won't allow it! I'll kill her, especially if you and that purple haired hick come any closer!"

"Aria…" Ben muttered.

This wasn't the first time he was in a position like this. In fact, this reminded him of a time where the Forever Knights wanted to kill a bunch of aliens who they held hostage. But then again that time involved him using the threat of force in order to aliens free. However, in a situation like this, he couldn't do the same thing with Aria, especially with the fact that she was just a girl.

Sheele, on the other hand, was different. She may be an airhead who has done some dumb things, but she knew when to act for the betterment of Night Raid. But this situation was debatable. She didn't want Akame to die considering she was her friend. But at the same time, the mission called for Aria to die. It had been so confusing until she heard Aria's response, which then brought an emotional blank look on her face as she lifted her giant scissors with one hand.

"I see." Sheele muttered. The conflict in her head was dissolving. She spoke in a way that it got both Ben and Aria's attention.

Before both teenagers knew it, Sheele's giant scissors let out a brightening light. It happened all of a sudden as it caused Ben to shield his eyes with both arms, while Aria shielded hers with the arm holding the threatening small branch. The light coming from Extase was such an unexpected action that it gave Sheele the chance to charge at Aria.

"No! Aria!" Ben cried out.

The light coming from Sheele's weapon was being a total nauseous, but it didn't keep the teen hero from taking a peek just in time to see the assassin's figure running off to Aria. It alerted the superhero to react fast as he went to the Omnitrix, selected an alien by random and slammed on its core. When the usual flash of green light died down Ben was the fast speeding alien known as XLR8.

"Leave her alone!" XLR8 shouted. At the same time, his visor's color changed to dark green. It was a way to activate heat signature mode, which allowed him to see through Sheele's surprise move with ease. Hence, before the young woman could get any closer, the alien hero ran towards her.

At the same time, Sheele's speed was impressive, but it didn't top XLR8. The alien hero was able to grab the female assassin by the waist before she could open the scissors and close it on Aria and ran her off to a direction before the airhead could react. By the time he came to a stop, he left her standing at a clearing, far from their former location, before running off.

"Uh…what just happened?" Sheele asked, confused.

Back at Aria, the blond rubbed her eyes due to the effect of Sheele's Extase. She had been surprised by the attack, until she then saw both Ben and Sheele gone. She didn't know how that was possible, but it gave her the motivation to return back to her psychotic look as she chuckled and glanced at Akame.

"Ha…ha…ha…No one's here to save you, bitch." Aria said. Then she formed a devilish grin as she raised the branch above Akame's head. "Now…do me a favor and burn in hell!"

Aria's objective at this point was almost complete. She was just seconds away from striking the branch to Akame's head side with ease, with no seemingly there to stop her. But as her hand went down, a flash of green light came from her back, followed by a normal human hand grabbing her wrist.

"Don't, Aria!"

Aria almost snarled in response. But she didn't. Instead, she whipped her head to her back, directly glaring at Ben with furious eyes. "Stay out of this, cattle! She deserves to die! This is only right!"

"No, it isn't." Ben retorted. He had a serious look mixed with mild frustration as he continued. "Killing her won't make this better."

"Yes, it will!" Aria yelled back. "My mother said so! That's how the world works! I'm a noble and it's my right to deal with hicks and other low-life in any way I want! Besides, this bitch dared to scare me! I'll kill her! My parents would want –"

"Your parents are gone!" Ben suddenly stated. The look in his eyes held no compassion as he stared down at the psychotic girl. "They're gone, Aria! You won't see them ever again! Night Raid made sure of that!"

 **(A/N: TO GET A BETTER FEEL OF THIS MOMENT, LISTEN TO ANY SAD OR SOFTLY UPLIFTING THEME MUSIC OR SONG YOU HAVE)**

"No…" Aria's face suddenly dropped. The psychotic and adrenaline rush she felt instantly left her. She hadn't known about her parents' fate until then as dread took over. "Y-You kept this from me?! W-Why?!"

"Because you have to move on!"

Aria became silent. She let Ben's words enter before turning her teary eyes down at Akame with a frown on her face. "Then I'm all alone. There's no need for me to live." She said softly and sorrowfully. "I'll kill her and end my own life here."

"Don't say that!"

Right now, Aria didn't want to respond. She wanted nothing more than to do what she said if it would bring her satisfaction. But in a strange twist it didn't happen. Ben suddenly pulled her arm up with enough force that he pulled her off from the ground before wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her to his chest. His action caught Aria by complete surprise as it led her to look up at the hero's face, confused as he was staring back at her.

"Wh-What are you –"

"You're not alone!" Ben stated determinedly.

"Huh?"

"You have me!"

"Wh-What?"

Aria was feeling strange about this. She didn't know how else to respond to Ben, who seemed to be reaching into her. His determined eyes were staring directly into her eyes that in a way it felt like he was speaking right into her soul.

"You heard me, Aria. You have me. You're not alone." Ben stated in the best way he could. His serious tone seemed to have calm down a bit as he stared at the lost look on Aria's face.

However, something in Aria was objecting to it. She tried using her free arm to push Ben away as she shook her head away in a fit of rebellion.

"Do-Don't spill such nonsense! You're just a –"

"A human being, just like you." Ben said and continued. "Aria, you've been a pain in the ass for a long time. You're spoilt, selfish and one of the craziness girls I've ever met. But I know somewhere…deep down…there's good. You try to hide it because you think it doesn't suit you, when really…it does."

"No. You're lying." Aria muttered. Tears were forming at her eyes as every one of them rolled down her cheeks as she continued. "I am good! My parents told me! I've always been good! Do-Don't call me things I am not! I'm a noble!"

"You're parents were wrong, Aria." Ben stated straightly. "Torturing and killing those who seek help isn't good, it's pure evil. You're parents lied to you. They didn't care about anything good, they just –"

"No, that's a lie! I-I'll kill you!"

"You won't, Aria." Ben continued. "Search deep down, you know I'm stating the truth. Your parents went down a dark path and took you along with them, and in the cause of it they paid the price. It doesn't matter if Night Raid came for them, they would've gotten their just rewards, with you taking the fall along with them."

"No…"

This was becoming too much for Aria to take. She could feel the mental walls she built breaking apart piece by piece at a rapid pace as she unintentionally let every word Ben said sink in. It made her feel something entirely different, though not in a way she would've, as it led her to sink her face into Ben's chest to cry.

"Pl-Please kill me. I'm done."

Ben sighed in response. He kind of expected such a response considering all that he went through. But he didn't talk yet. Instead, the hero used his free hand to caress the hair on Aria's face before speaking again. "You guys and killing…doesn't that get a bit old?"

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused. His rhetoric question there brought her to look up at him to see a smile on his face. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's nothing." Ben replied. He then moved that hand to hold Aria's wrist and continued. "Listen, no one is perfect, not even me. We've all done things that we're not proud of. But it's always important to know we're never alone. You don't always have to be strong by yourself. It's okay to ask for help."

"Oh…" Aria muttered. She stopped crying upon hearing that, but couldn't help but feel some new dread coming over her. It made her to look down as she contemplated on her past which has brought her to that moment. "If what you said is true…then I'm a monster. How can I move on from that?"

"You just do." Ben stated. However, this confused Aria. It caused her to look up at the young man, a bit confused, before he then continued. "Listen, there'll always be people who would see you for the outside, but keep in mind that they don't define who you are. Who knows, you might find people who will help you in the way. But you can be strong…be wise…and be worth better than what they'll expect from you. That isn't to say you have to be perfect for them; you just have to be the best that you can be."

Aria became silent again. She let her ears take in every word Ben said as it made her feel calm for a reason she didn't know yet. To her, she liked it, especially to the point of laying her head on Ben's chest as a thought came to mind. .

"Did – Did you mean that?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"About being with me..." Aria added. "You were right about those things about me. I see it now. But just so you know…I'll be a handful."

"I know." Ben replied. "You were always a handful but…at least you've know that."

"Hmph…" Aria responded. Then she turned back and looked at the unconscious bodies of Night Raid. "You know…if you leave them alive, they'll come for us again."

"Let them. I'll take them on." Ben said determinedly and smirked.

"And the empire?" Aria added. "Once word of your Teigu is heard, they'll be many greedy men after it."

"I'm kind of aware of that. But I've dealt with worse, so no worries."

"Hmph." Aria said and smiled. For some reason, she found Ben's confident words comforting to her. It made the tension she felt within her decrease to the point that she released her grip on the branch and let it fall to the ground. "Alright…I concede defeat, Ben Tennyson."

 **(A/N: THE SONG ENDS HERE)**

Ben was satisfied to hear this. It would appear that he may be on the road to get Aria to that future he saw those nights ago. But before any of them could speak, both heard fast footsteps followed by a whoosing sound, which immediately got them to turn behind them. It was revealed then that the source was heele, who was suspended from the air, heading straight at them with her scissors open to kill.

"Holy shit!" Both Ben and Aria cried out simultaneously.

Fortunately, there was some time to react properly. This was obvious as Ben was quickly able to tighten his grip around Aria's waist before making a jump backwards, over Akame's unconscious body. But because Ben didn't think it through, he and Aria fell to the ground on their butts.

"Ow." Aria winced. Her butt hurt from the impact.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ben asked.

On that instance, Aria forgot about her pain. She heard Ben perfectly clear and turned to him before giving an assured nod. "I'm fine."

"Good." Ben commented and grinned. He then chose that moment to stand back up to his feet before turning his head at Sheele, who stood with Extase in both hands. The giant scissors was terrifyingly big, but the hero didn't seem worried as he went over the Omnitrix and activated the hologram dial. "Alright, stay back and let me handle this."

Aria smiled and nodded in compliance. She may not have said it, but she trusted the alien hero to handle things from on out – not that she didn't before. It was just that things felt complicated before. But the past didn't matter for the time being. Ben was facing the new female assassin when a memory came to mind.

"Wait, a minute, I just remembered. We've met before." Ben said.

"Hmm?" Sheele responded with a tilt of her head. She seemed lost by the young hero's indication as she couldn't recall it.

Fortunately, Ben didn't take this the wrong way. He still had his fingers selecting through random aliens as he continued. "Yeah, at Aria's house, don't you remember?"

"No, I don't." Sheele answered softly.

"Wait, you're serious?" Ben questioned. He then gave Sheele a 'you're kidding me look' and continued. "I get we didn't see each other's face, but come on, you'll have to be a total airhead to not remember meeting at that hallway with your bloody scissors."

"How did you know about my airhead problem?"

"Wait, what?" Ben froze. It wasn't due to an attack, but due to a sudden realization, which as it clicked on his mind made an anime strain to appear on the side of his head as he gave Sheele another look. "You're not joking are you?"

Sheele became quiet. She looked down at the ground, which had Akame's body a few feet before her, as she said nothing. It wasn't known why this was so, but in a few seconds after she raised her head with a silent plain look as she held both handles of Extase with her glasses flashing at the moonlight.

"I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Then she swiftly attacked. The purple haired assassin leapt at Ben with her scissors opened with such accuracy that she would've cut Ben in half. But being an experienced hero, the young man jumped to his left and rolled on the rolled on the ground till he came to a stop with his knee on the ground and the other bent so that his foot was on the ground, while glaring at Sheele as she stood at where he once was. The purple haired assassin clearly had her eyes on him, as she looked down on him with no indication of emotion on her face.

"Great." Ben said with annoyance. "Why is it always the cute girls in this world are always the psychotic killers?"

Sheele said nothing in response. She glanced at Aria, who shrieked back a bit before turning to Ben, who she then suddenly charged at with her Extase opened. But before she closed the gap, the Omnitrix's faceplate slide back just in time for the core to pop up and for Ben to slam down on it. When the light died down, Ben was a small sized alien with green skin with six sprout-like growths on the back of his head, a dark-green patch of skin on his head, light-green skin on his face and belly, as well as a crooked teeth overbite, with the Omnitrix symbol on his stomach.

"Upchuck!" Ben cried out.

At the same time, Sheele drew closer. She just about widened her scissors, when suddenly Upchuck opened his mouth and released four adhesive tongues which grabbed both sides of the scissors. The attack caught Sheele by surprise as it made her come to a stop, with a frustrated groan as she tried to keep her stand. Upchuck was trying to take Extase away from her.

For the time Sheele had acquired the legendary Teigu, she has always felt close to it. This was the weapon she had used to take out certain enemies and in a way feel better belong with Night Raid. But right now, all that she thought about felt threatened as Upchuck continued pulling. The alien may be small, but his tongues were impressively strong as they kept pulling her closer to him despite how much of her strength she was opposing against him.

Things only turned out for the worse as the seconds went by. Upchuck was feeling irritated by Sheele's actions. He could understand that she was attached to the weapon, but at the same time could listen to his stomach. The Upchuck species weren't known for having their meals held back from them. Hence, he did what he thought was best for the moment. He put in much pull, causing Sheele to be lifted off the ground and sent flying into Upchuck's mouth with her Teigu going along.

"HOLY SHIT, BEN!" Aria cried out in pure shock. Her mouth was wide, as well as her eyes as she stared at the alien hero, who now had his cheeks puffed. One moment she had been seeing a tense fight, and the next she just watched the superhero eat a human being. It was very shocking to say the least as it was basically an act of cannibalism. Hence, the young woman reacted further. "YOU ATE HER!?"

Upchuck turned to her in response. He didn't say anything yet though, as a look of disgust in his eyes soon came over before he opened his mouth and let Sheele and Extase slide out on to the ground in green slime.

"Yeah…don't remind me." Upchuck said in disgust.

As for Sheele, she was conscious. But she couldn't a muscle. In fact, she had a weak look on her face as she then said. "I feel so sticky."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Upchuck apologized.

Just then, the Omnitrix symbol began to beep and making whining sounds. It caught the attention of its user as he looked down on his stomach before then being engulfed in a flash of light. When the light died down, Upchuck was back to being Ben, who had his arm up as he looked at the Omnitrix.

"Huh, I guess the power is out." The teen said subtly. He would've complained about it if not that he thought about the night. The Omnitrix had allowed him to use that many aliens until now it couldn't anymore for the time being. But that wasn't to say the night was over.

Night Raid has been a pain to Ben, both mentally and physically, as the teen thought about it and went around Aria. He was just about to approach the girl, when he tilted his head to Sheele with a bit of concern.

"Hey, you okay over there?" He asked.

"Uh...yes." Sheele answered. She could see Ben from her position as she was lying on her front. "If you wish to kill me, make it quick. I won't beg for my life."

"Ugh." Ben responded with annoyance. He didn't like the mistaken attention the girl had on him in the slightest bit. Hence, he turned his back at her and placed one of his hands in his pockets. "I'm not going to do that."

"Huh?" Sheele was surprised. "Why?"

"Simple. It's just not the way I do things." Ben answered. He didn't annoyed anymore as he went away. Instead, he donned a position of determination as he continued."I'm a superhero. I don't have to kill to make things right. You and your friends can come at me as much as you want, but there's no way I'll kill a single one of you. I'm not your enemy, and never was."

' _He doesn't want us dead?'_ Sheele thought. The young woman was confused as she mustered a way to move her arm. But she couldn't. _'Does this mean he doesn't know about our hideout?'_

"By the way." Ben said again, cutting her out of her thoughts. "…you should be able to move soon enough." He then gave Sheele one last look before turning his back at her and sticking his other hand into his other pocket. "I've only been to the Capital once, and I can tell this world is rotten thanks to the empire. So one day, I'm going to change it for the better. I'm going to take on the Prime minister and any of his lackeys, and when I get to the emperor, he's going to answer for the crimes he allowed to go by. That is a promise."

Sheele became quiet. She didn't know what to make of Ben's words as they sounded odd to her. Here was a young man with the power to kill her friends, only to choose not to do that due to a sense of duty. It was weird. She only met someone with such a good heart in her former best friend before they had fallout a long time ago.

So without saying anything, Sheele kept num and watched Ben walk away. At first, he was going to Aria, but for an unknown reason he went over to Akame's body and picked up the branch Aria almost used to kill the unconscious assassin. Then, by gripping the tear in his shirt made by said assassin earlier, he ripped a piece of his cloth and went over to Aria, who he then knelt down and pushed her dress up a bit to tie the branch to her ankle with the cloth holding it.

"Y-You ripped your own shirt?" Aria questioned, surprised.

"Yeah." Ben said. He gave the ankle a bit of a look before looking directly at Aria as he continued. "I watched this on a survival...I mean by a group of people. It won't heal your leg, but you'll be able to stand on your own. You wanna try it?"

"I…um…sure." Aria said and smiled warmly.

Ben smiled back in response. He stood up back to his feet and extended his hand to Aria, who took it and let the teen softly pull her to her feet. But as she took another step, she lost her balance and fell on the teen with such force that both fell to the ground, with Aria on top of him and Ben on the ground. But before any of them could say a word, a gunshot was heard hitting a tree not too from them.

Sheele knew who that possibly came from.

' _Mine.'_ She thought instantly.

And true to her mind, the one responsible stepped out into the open. She had both her arms on her Pumpkin as she stared daggers at Ben, who looked back at her from his position. Obviously, that shot was meant for him, if not that Aria had knocked him to the ground unintentionally. But now he found himself a bad situation, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried about the situation.

' _Shit…this is bad.'_ Ben thought. _'The Omnitrix hasn't recharged yet…What am I going to do now?'_

Mine sent a scowl at Ben. She had the perfect chance to end the Omnitrix user and Aria with a single shot. But as she lifted her weapon at the teen hero, he reacted by pushing Aria to the ground and hovering his hand over the Omnitrix, to which Mine gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Easy there. I don't want to fight you." Ben said with a cautious voice.

However, Mine didn't seem to care. She just took a firmer grip of her Teigu as she targeted it for Ben's head. "Hmph! You have a lot of nerve and stupidity to say that after what you did! Sorry I had t bust your romance shit, but this is where you and that girl die! But if you think about running or touching that Teigu of yours, I'll pull the trigger on you before you can touch it. I'm an expert sniper, don't underestimate me!"

"' _Yup, this is really bad.'_ Ben thought further. _'The Omnitrix is still recharging right now. I could try to outrun her shot, but from the sounds of it she'll kill Aria before I can get close to her. Damn…this is usually the part where Rook or Gwen and Kevin or just about anyone I know would step in.'_

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a way Ben would receive help. Mine already had her mind made up, when she was just a second away from pulling the trigger. But before she could, someone intervened.

"Mine! Wait!"

"Huh?"

Mine paused with a confused face. She looked over to the source of the voice and found Sheele getting back on her feet. The slime from Upchuck was still a nauseous though, as it made standing up a bit harder. But as the young woman struggled to her feet with her Teigu in hand, she let out a puff of her and stared at Mine with a soft look on her face.

"Sheele, you're okay." Mine said with voice of relief. She sent a warming smile at her friend before it turned into a scowl as she focused back on Ben. "Stay right there, I'll finish this right here and now." She said.

However, her friend seemed to have a different idea.

"No, Mine…I need you to stop."

"What?!"

Mine was shocked to hear this. She turned her attention back at Sheele, while still having her Teigu directed at Ben with a mix of shock and annoyance. "You can't be serious, Sheele! This bastard –"

"Akame and the others are fine." Sheele stated.

"Hmph! Good!" Mine responded in a rude manner. "But that doesn't change the boss's order. We have to kill him and the girl."

Sheele became silent with that said. She at first glanced at the ground, before turning her attention at Ben and then at Aria, as well at finally Mine. The decision she had to make was rare, but she knew she had to do it.

"I understand." Sheele said with a hint of admittance. It made Ben to feel tense a bit while Mine felt better as she went back to the teen hero and placed her finger at Pumpkin's trigger. But before anything happened, Sheele spoke up again. "That is why I'll take responsibility."

"What?" Mine questioned and turned back to her friend. "What the hell are you talking about, Sheele?!"

"I'm saying…" Sheele paused and looked sad at the ground. She felt a heavy burden on her chest as the seconds continued. "Let him and the girl go. I'll take the responsibility for this mission's failure…Please, Mine."

"What? No!" Mine rebuked. "Do you even know what you're saying?! Boss will be furious!"

"I know." Sheele mumbled. "But…you have to trust me…Please, Mine."

Now it was Mine's turn to be quiet. She glanced at her purple haired friend before scowling at Ben, who just stood quiet as he watched the entire scene happen. Aria, on the other hand, was on the ground, lying on her front, as she too watched everything occur. She didn't know what else to do other than stay quiet and hope for the better.

"Fine." Mine said in defeat. She had taken what Sheele said, and in the process decided to put her weapon down at her side. "I don't know why you're doing this…but I expect answers. They can go."

Ben and Aria were relieved to hear this. However, the former couldn't help but feel the intensity in the air between the two female friends. It almost pained him that it was due to his inability to fight back that resulted to this. But before he could go on further, his mind was instantly jerked back to Mine when she yelled.

"Well!?" The pink haired assassin shouted. "What are you waiting for?! Leave before I change my mind."

From the looks of it, the pink haired teen didn't seem to bluff. She had the look of pure hatred at Ben as she gripped her Pumpkin in her right hand, possibly as an indication that she would do what she said. But even when that came to Ben, he took the moment to turn to Sheele with a sympathy face.

"I know this wouldn't mean much, but…thank you." He said.

Sheele said nothing in return. She just glanced at Ben with a sad look on her face before turning back at Mine, who seemed really angry with regret. The teen hero wished then he could help out, but he knew better than not to intervene. Hence, he picked Aria up in bridal style and ran off just for the two friends to stare at each other with many things going on in their heads.

-(LINE BREAK)-

"Well that went well…" said Professor Paradox. "And to think, three new timelines were made from this night."

"Huh…is that so?" asked his companion. "You never told me before."

Professor Paradox chuckled as a smile formed on his face. Currently, he and his companion were on the same spot where Mine and Sheele had been when Ben was battling some of Night Raid's member, the cliffside. He didn't find it odd though, and neither did his companion as he sat on a rock behind Paradox and poured a bottle of liquor into a glass cup before drinking it all till it was gone.

"I guess I would, if you would stop drinking, Ben." Paradox said and turned to his companion. "I guess Leone's habit is still on you."

Ben 10,000 smirked as he placed the battle and cup down by his sides. "What can I say? Leone was right. A drink can help calm a guy's stress."

This version of Ben 10,000 isn't the one Paradox interacted with in the past, though. He was someone almost different from the previous versions. He was muscular in size like them though, with tousled brown hair which had grey hair at both sides, while wearing a white-striped black shirt with short sleeves, black fingerless gloves, green pants, black boots and a trench coat which he wore over his shoulders as he had his eyes on the time travelling professor.

"I guess so." Paradox said softly. But he didn't seem too much into the subject though. "But I can't blame you. We're in another Time War, which seems more dangerous than Maultruant…I guess it's cause it involves two individuals' timeline born from this timeline."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Ben 10,000 stated with a grumble sound. The cup and bottle he had next to him then disappeared in a flash of blue light before he then fully stood up. He knew who the cause of it was, but said nothing as he went over to Paradox and stood next to him. "So about those timelines, what were they?" He asked.

"They were…dark. I'm sure I told you about them when you were your sixteen, but I guess I should mention it now. In one timeline, Aria was successfully killed by Tatsumi and Ieyasu due Akame sending a second strike of her Murasame when you were Rath. This caused that version of you to fall into a depth of depression, anger and failure, just to the point that you used Alien X and wiped out Night Raid and took over the empire. In the second timeline, Mine refused to listen to Sheele, hence causing Sheele to fight her friend and flee with that version of you and Aria. Her action changed the very course of the future in such a way that she avoided her death by Suiryu and became a love interest. As for the third timeline, Kurome came in and rescued both you and Aria. Apparently, she was…interested in you."

"Ugh…please don't say it like that." Ben 10,000 said with his face in his hands. But as that moment went by, a thought came in mind that led him to drop his hand and look at the moon in thought. "Oh yeah, I remember the first timeline you mentioned…So that's how that evil Ben from the incident with Vigax and the other Bens came to be huh?"

"Indeed." Paradox said and nodded. His eyes then wondered off to the figure of Mine, who seemed to go over to Leone's body as she was waking up. It led to a thought coming to his mind as he immediately turned to his friend once again. "By the way, when are you planning to reveal yourself to her?"

"Soon." Ben 10,000 simply said. Then he looked down at the figure of Mine and smiled. "She sure has grown since the last time I met her…but of course that was like a week to me and years for her. Now then…" He turned to Paradox. "Let's get to why we came here."

Professor Paradox nodded in response. He knew what Ben 10,000 meant, and so complied as a blue portal appeared before them. This portal was to take them somewhere, which both individuals knew about before stepping into it. Once that happened, the portal closed, with them at their destination.

 *****************(LINE BREAK)********************

 **Yup! You just read that! Ben 10,000 is involved in this fanfiction. But it isn't any of the Ben 10,000 you know. This one was created out of present Ben's experience in the world of Akame ga kill. I plan on him appearing again in the later chapter to explain certain things and answer questions that may be on your mind. He does have a connection with Mine, so expect that to be revealed as the story goes. As to whether he would have any action, no he won't. In fact, this second time war won't affect present Ben much. It would affect how he acts, but overall he'll remain the Ben we know. As for the new "Biomnitrix" he wears, these are slightly different than the ones former Ben 10,000 wears. I'll reveal about them in good time.**

 **If you don't get what happened in this chapter or you're just not satisfied with it, continue reading to know. I apologize that there wasn't that much action. Originally, there would've been a lot of it in the form of Ben and Mine facing off in other parts of the forest, hand-to-hand combat. But as I thought about it, I realized it left a plot hole which would ask "Why didn't Mine just shoot Ben from the cliffside?" I know it doesn't seem much, but I try to stay away from plotholes. So instead, I had it so that Mine was heading to Ben's location during that time with Aria and his short fight with Sheele. Also, I didn't want to insult Mine's shooting skills. If you've seen the anime and manga, you'll know what I mean.**

 **Now about Sheele, some of you may not approve why she intervened. Well to be honest, in the series, we've seen that Sheele has a good heart for those in trouble. In fact, next to Tatsumi, she's the only one that had a normal life until it went downhill. By that, the only abuse she received before that fate with her former best friend was verbal ones. Originally, in this fanfic, she was meant to have a minor scene with no intervention as it was just that Ben vs. Mine that I had in mind. But as I thought of it, I decided to let Sheele have a prominent role that would impact Ben's life in their world, that way IF she does end up dead like the manga/anime, her death would impact Ben. It isn't for sure to say that she'll die. But just be open-minded to a possibility.**

 **Lastly, there's the scene with Ben and Aria I feel should be addressed the most important. This is to ensure that no one misinterprets what happened. I didn't rush Aria if that's what some of you may be thinking. I've actually been hinting at this since the chapter with Ben and the Danger Beast. But if you want a breakdown then I'll provide it. The thing is that Aria was very close to her parents. So when Night Raid came that fateful night and killed her parents, she wasn't aware that they were killed. Ben didn't bother to tell her for the reason he stated in this chapter. But as he told her, she became deeply depressed to the point that she unknowingly was open to listen to Ben, who she doesn't know she has been trusting little by little since that time with the Danger Beast, until now she actually acknowledged him.**

 **I hope the above explanations answered any misinterpretations. Sorry that it was long, I'll try to make these things shorter. As to why Ben acted that way to Aria, remember I said that this is Omniverse Ben if he was from an anime world? Well that's what I meant. And if you're wondering if he likes Aria or if Aria has those feelings for him, that's a no. However, I do plan on Ben's pairing to be like a love triangle (basically AriaXBenXLeone). I find that more interesting than a harem because we can focus on how both girls approach the guy and develop each other rather than the unneeded amount of girls for one guy. You may like harems, but for me, the most I've seen just annoys me. Also don't worry BenXLeone fans, their moment will come when the time comes.**

 **So what do you think of the timelines Paradox mentioned? I plan on more timelines to be mentioned by Paradox, especially one planned by another reader that I like.**

 **So until next time, thank you so much for reading. It was fun writing this chapter, especially with the thought to know your thoughts and continuous support. I'll see you next time!**


	8. Disappointment, Truths and Who is Ben10?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?

Thank you so much for your continuous support! They have been great! They were some things I wanted to add to say in the previous author's note, but due to all of it being long I couldn't. Now then, I can say them.

On regards to the timelines being made into stories by other authors, sure I can allow that. I wanted to mention this, but I totally forgot to add that. In fact, I'm considering doing some one-shots of said events if no author decides to take any of them as a story.

 **To one of the guest reviewers please don't use reviews to ask me to update one of my fanfictions. I'll get to it when the time feels right, so until then I ask that you patiently wait. I'm sorry if this was bit all of a sudden or harsh. That isn't my intention.**

So about the love triangle; I'm glad to hear good feedback about it. I know it came as a surprise in the last chapter, but I actually intended it from the time after poll of Ben's pairings. I thought I had mentioned it until I went through the chapters just to find that I didn't. So I'm so sorry about that. As for the thought of a harem, I'm glad we're on the same page about it.

Also a brief shout out to the reviewer, New Universe Returns. Thanks for your suggestion. I truly appreciated it even though I never used it in the previous chapter.

Now then, here's yet another chapter. This one was originally meant to have a huge flashback narrated by Ben, Tatsumi and Ieyasu from their separate locations while connecting it. But as I was writing, the chapter became way to long, and while I know you guys want to read more, I find it tiring to add everything in one chapter. Hence, I split it up, just like I did with Chapter one and two. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 8: Disappointment, Some Truth and…Who is Ben Tennyson?**

Night time was still on course as the twinkling stars and the moon could be seen above the face of the earth. The incident with Ben Tennyson and Aria had long since passed since both of them escaped due to one of Night Raid's very own assassin, Sheele, who currently was facing the consequence for disobeying Najenda's order to kill the duo.

So back at Night Raid's hidden hideout, every member of the group of elite assassins was present in the meeting room. Najenda was seated on her personal seat before everyone while Sheele stood before her with a depressed look on her face. As for the rest of Night Raid, they stood around, with Tatsumi and Ieyasu standing at both sides of Bulat, who was back to his human form as he had his arms crossed over his chest and his right foot on the wall.

The incident with Ben Tennyson was still fresh in everyone's mind as Sheele spoke in her defense of her action. The superhero's unexpected scare tactic earlier had worn off since the time he escaped with Aria. But that wasn't to say the rest of the assassins were pleased to hear that Sheele allowed the duo to escape after everything they went through.

So back at the present, Sheele concluded her explanation. It hadn't been too bad, although the young woman did seem worried as she explained her actions. But that was in the past now. It was now Najenda's turn to say on the outcome of it, which by the look of her serious face already said what she felt.

"I must say I'm disappointed, Sheele." The boss stated straightforwardly. "You were given a direct order with everyone else to eliminate the intruder. I expected much from you."

"I'm sorry…" Sheele muttered and tightened her grip on her hands.

Najenda sighed before resting her normal hand on the armrest. It allowed her to rub her forehead, in a way to suppress her disappointment, as she took in what she had been told. The report from Sheele didn't sound anyway good to her in the slightest, especially by the fact that it had been a surprised that Sheele, of all the members, intervened into something that she had given orders about. But it wasn't like that she could've been corrected. By the time everyone woke up, Ben and Aria were long gone.

"I just want to know one thing." Najenda said with her eye glaring at Sheele. "Why do it? Why did you risk the mission and a direct order for a young man you didn't know about? "

Sheele said nothing in response, at least not yet. She wasn't good at giving reports, especially ones about missions. But here she was, doing something she never thought would happen. But as the seconds passed with no answer, she finally looked up to Najenda with a depressed look before speaking.

"I…don't know…" She said softly. "Oh wait…yes, I do…It's just that he…Ben…reminded me of Juliet. He didn't want to harm any of us…at least that's what I think. He didn't even seem like he wanted to kill us…So when I saw Mine about to kill him, I saw how pure his heart was and so I…just went in the way. I know what I did is wrong…and I'm ready for the consequences…but the way he spoke to me, he looked so determined to takeout the empire. I guess…I didn't want his life to end before he could realize it."

Mine scoffed as she facepalmed. Sheele was her best friend, but she couldn't help but find that reasoning to be stupid. "If you're saying he could join us, I hate to break it to you but he declined twice." She said.

"Huh?" Sheele questioned and turned back.

"She's right." Akame said in agreement. "Bulat and Tatsumi tried. He may have a good heart, but he doesn't intend on joining us if we're to kill the girl."

"Oh…I see." Sheele muttered. But she didn't deter, especially as she turned sideways. "But does he have to be with us to help? We could…"

Najenda became a bit intrigued, just by her face expression changed. But she wasn't the one who stopped Sheele. No, it was Ieyasu, as he took a step forward with an annoyed look on his face.

"Just stop it, okay?! You messed up when you let him and that girl to run away!"

Sheele wince a bit as she turned away. The outburst from Ieyasu hurt a bit more than it should at that moment. It did made Mine to shoot a glare at Ieyasu, who didn't seem to notice as he continuously glared at the purple haired assassin. Tatsumi, on the other hand, was taken aback by his friend's attitude until his mood shifted and became a straight one. He didn't say anything though, but instead rested his hand on Ieyasu's shoulder, which caught the guy's attention.

"That's enough, Ieyasu." Tatsumi stated. "We were like that too with Ben. Have you forgotten?"

"Uh…" Ieyasu uttered as he stared at his friend. He took in what he had to say, before feeling his attitude a second ago instantly decrease. It made guilt to immediately rush in, as he then nodded at Tatsumi and turned to Sheele apologetically. "Hey…Sheele, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Sheele said back.

At the same time, Najenda decided the interactions were enough. She did let the apologies sink in a bit before leaning forward at Sheele's direction, who responded by looking back at her. Once that happened, everyone's attention was at the boss again.

"After a bit of thinking, I've made my decision." Najenda said affirmatively. "Sheele, you're here on temporarily relieved from duty. You can keep Extase with you, but you can't participate in any more missions for the next two weeks unless I say otherwise, understood?"

"Yes, boss." Sheele said softly.

"Good." The boss said and sat backwards on her seat. "You're a good assassin, Sheele. But you know just as much as everyone that you're actions can come with consequences. Fortunately, there is some good to it."

"There is?" Sheele asked, surprised.

She wasn't alone to feel this, though. In fact, everyone was surprised as they stared at Najenda, who seemed resolved as she lifted a cigarette to her mouth and lit it.

"Yes." The boss answered. "Partly the reason Night Raid failed was because we lacked potential knowledge of the young man, Ben. We didn't take into account his strengths, weaknesses or background; hence you were all unprepared for his transformations despite giving it your best. However, I believe this is a lesson that we've learned. We must not underestimate the enemy just by his looks."

Everyone nodded in response affirmatively. It made sense for Najenda to state this, seeing as the experience the assassins went through was difficult. It was why all attention was still on her as she dismissed Sheele, who stood right next to Mine, before crossing her right leg over her left.

"Now then…what did you all observe in the fight? I want to know every detail" Najenda stated.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

Somewhere in the forest, far away from Night Raid's location, Ben Tennyson was at the bottom of a small hill, where he sat on a log by a stream as he washed his face. It had only been an hour since he faced Night Raid and escaped, only to find himself wondering about the event. He was glad he and Aria made it out alive, but couldn't help but feel worried for a certain purpled haired assassin that saved them.

However, before he could think further, he heard footsteps. It didn't alert him to any danger, but actually to look behind him just in time to see Aria standing behind him with a calm look on her face and her arms behind her back. But the moment they made eye contact, the girl smiled as she playfully skipped over to his front before doing a twirl that made the bottom of her dress to fly up a bit, as she then came to a stop before the Omnitrix user.

"Thank you so much, Ben!" Aria said with a sweet voice. "My leg feels as good as new."

"Oh…that's great." Ben muttered. He seemed to have his mind distant to the present as his eyes turned away from her and to the stream.

Unfortunately, this didn't sit well with Aria. The blond just about had it with Ben's attitude, when she suddenly raised her left hand and smacked the young man on top of his head.

"Ow!" Ben yelped. He reacted to the blond girl's action by placing both of his hands on his head. This was then followed by a glare by him to Aria. "What the hell, Aria?!"

"You!" Aria yelled and pointed accursedly at him. "You're doing it again! The second time I thank you and you don't even appreciate it!"But it didn't stop there for her. In fact, she placed both hands on her hips and bent forward at the young man's face, just inches from it. "So what is it? You've been quiet after you healed my ankle, so spill!"

Ben became quiet and moved his head back. As much as he hated Aria's attitude, he knew she was right. But rather than look at her in the eyes, his attitude calm down as he looked away.

"Sorry about that…" He said. "I was just thinking about that girl…you know, the girl that saved us…Sheele, was it?"

"Her?" Arai questioned. She seemed to understand the Omnitrix user as she stood fully back up. "Yeah, that was her name…But what about her?"

Ben sighed as he depressingly sat forward. "It's what happened then…I feel I was responsible. They may be murderers, but I can tell they're good people in their own way, that is. If I was just strong enough…or at least the Omnitrix was recharged, I could've prevented that."

"The Omnitrix?" Aria questioned.

At the same time, Ben realized his mistake. His eyes went wide as it dawned on him that he may have just slipped on something he should've been quiet on. But as he looked up at Aria, she didn't seem to ponder much on it as her face was at somewhere else.

"Huh…so that's the name of your Teigu?" She said. "I'm not good at comforting people…that was never my strong point. But I think you should keep faith that she's alright. If those…people are good then I guess she'll be fine."

"Hmm…Maybe you're right." Ben smiled. "Thanks , Aria."

Aria looked back at him and smiled. "Thanks."

However, their talk with each other didn't end there. There was something Ben found his mind bringing up now that the subject of it was made by Aria. The blond, obviously, didn't know of it until Ben brought up.

"By the way…what is a Teigu?" Ben asked.

"Huh?" Aria paused as she gave the hero a look. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're kidding, right? You're wearing a Teigu on your wrist."

Ben said nothing in response. He knew what Aria meant, before then lifting his Omnitrix arm to her view, with said device staring at her. "Actually, it isn't…It's kind of a long story. But just tell me what a Teigu is, I'll fill you in on my part, I promise."

"Um…fine." Aria said in acceptance. But she was also curious about the young hero. It was why she obliged so easily, even to the point of sitting next to him on the log, with him facing her as she did the same to him. "Well from what I heard a Teigu is this. They're these mysterious and powerful relics that exist all over the empire. They were created on the instruction of the first emperor, who feared that the empire he founded would eventually fall. So to prevent that from happening, he gathered many materials and hired many scientists throughout the world to make strong weapons and defenses…From what I heard, most of these materials were made from the remains of powerful and rare Danger Beasts that were S-Class, while a few was made from a rare metal I can't remember. I do know that they are forty-eight of these Teigus, but after a civil war that happened five centuries ago, almost half of them became lost."

"Woah, they sound so cool!" Ben exclaimed with a look of amazement.

"Uh…yeah." Aria said, a bit taken aback by his reaction. Fortunately, she was able to recover from it instantly and point at the Omnitrix. "And I thought that was one of them. If that isn't a Teigu then what is it? Those creatures you turned into look like Danger Beasts to me."

"Well they're not." Ben said and held the Omnitrix in his hand. "It's called the Omnitrix. Believe it or not, it's the most powerful device in the universe."

"The…Universe?" Aria questioned. But upon taking this in she sighed in disbelief and got ready to stand up. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No! Wait! Let me explain!" Ben shouted.

"Fine." Aria accepted and sat back facing him. "But you better be saying the truth."

"I will. Scout's honor." Ben replied and raised up his hand. But in doing so, he confused Aria, who he then responded by placing his arm down. "It's a thing we say from where I'm from."

"Um…okay."

"Anyway…" Ben continued. "My full name is Ben Kirby Tennyson and I'm not from this world. In fact…I'm from another world."

This caught Aria's attention.

Ben continued. "In that world, things are different. Technology is much superior and we have a democratic system of government in most parts with certain rights, a good justice system and…well, basically every good thing this world doesn't have. Now I know these sounds crazy, but let me finished…So in this world, my life was like any other person. I went to school, got picked on by bullies and so on and so on, until one night during a road trip with my grandfather and cousin, a strange device from the sky shot down to the ground. At first I thought it was a weird satellite…you wouldn't know what that is, until I went over to it and it got stuck on my wrist. That thing was the Omnitrix…the former version, that is. Ever since then I've been fighting bad guys from my world and from space to the point that I got the device you see here, the new Omnitrix. It basically has more features added than the old one, which I blew up to stop an intergalactic warlord from getting…So do you believe me?"

Aria was quiet when he concluded. She didn't seem intent to say a word to him as she already had her face away from him. But before he could utter another word, she stood up and began walking away.

"If you're going to tell me such nonsense, you could've just said so." She said.

"Wait, Aria!" Ben called out. He realized at that moment on what she thought as it was plainly obvious. But not wanting to seem like a liar, he ran over to her and grabbed her by the wrist, halting her. "Please stop. I've never lied to you before, so why would I now?"

"I…" Aria paused and turned to him. "I don't know…Do you know how crazy you sound right now?"

"Yeah…I had a feeling." Ben replied. "But you just have to believe me."

Aria said nothing back in response. She looked at Ben right in the eyes, like she was searching for anything odd, before coming to a conclusion. It made her to let out a soft sigh before she looked back at the hero with a calm look on her face. "Fine, I believe you." She said in admittance. "That does explain why you don't kill…even when our lives were on the line."

"Yeah." Ben said and let go of her hand.

"But…" Aria suddenly added. "You're not going to make it if you don't do it."

"What?" Ben questioned, confused.

"Taking a life." Aria answered. She didn't seem hostile at him though, but rather in concern. "Look…I heard what you said to that assassin, about taking down the Prime Minister and his lackeys, but do you really know how much that's going to take? You met me…you saw what my family and I did…but that's…that's a peek of the kind of people that lives in the Capital. And that's not all. Assuming you do face the palace, you'll have to deal with a large number of the best soldiers the Capital could provide, as well as the Empire's best generals Esdeath and Budo; those two are monsters in battle…from what I've heard."

"I don't see the problem." Ben replied. "Trust me, I've faced –"

"Have you ever taken a life?!" Aria shouted suddenly. "Have you ever seen the blood of the person you've killed, only to reflect on what you did and wonder what led to that?! I have, and trust me it's horrifying! But if you think you can take on the entire empire…you're a fool, Ben Kirby Tennyson! If you face Esdeath, she'll be out on you like an icy blizzard. She's all about the strongest survives, so don't expect her to go down easily in a fight, ever, unless she's killed! That's the kind of woman she is! As for General Budo, I've heard he's so terrifying that the Prime Minister has to be conscious about him! So if…if you underestimate them, it'll cost you your life!"

"Wow…you kind of make sense." Ben said. Now that he took in Aria's words, he couldn't help but feel that she's right. But if her words didn't seem to enter him, her teary eyes did as they stared at his green eyes. "To be honest, I actually regretted coming here when I saw those bodies in that shed…But not anymore...If I was disgusted by that, then I really don't know what this world has. But I'm not going to kill. I'm going to show this world that a life doesn't have to be taken to make a permanent change."

"Hmph, good with that." Aria said and smiled warningly. "I really want to believe you'll do that, so promise me something. Promise me…no matter what…you'll never take a life."

"I promise, Aria." Ben said with certainty.

Aria felt happy to hear this. She truly wanted to believe Ben could handle this world, hence the promise. But as she stared at him, the young man brought her out of her trance as he rubbed the back of his head just to feel comfortable in changing the topic.

"So about Esdeath…have you met her?" He asked.

"Huh?" Aria questioned. She had been so focused in thought that she was surprised by his question. "Um…yes. But it wasn't really a meeting. It was more of a glance."

"Oh, is that so?" Ben questioned. He placed his hand down by his side as curiosity and interest got the best of him.

"Yes." Aria answered. She immediately after wiped the tears off her eyes before continuing. "There was a party once which allowed the emperor and the Prime Minister to mingle with their guests. It was a way for the emperor to find a young lover to marry when he comes of age. I don't know who suggested it, but General Esdeath was there. But I remember so much about it…I remember touching the emperor's hand and looking Esdeath in the eyes…Back then I was fascinated by her…I heard so much about her torture techniques, just to the point that I tried some of them out…But I'm ashamed of that now."

"Right." Ben replied. "So what about the other guy?"

"General Budo?" Aria questioned. "He wasn't there, but I heard he's a powerful Teigu user…the same with Esdeath. He's known to have so much respect in the military that he surpasses Esdeath herself in that fact."

"Huh, you sure speak of Esdeath a lot. Is she really that dangerous?"

"She is." Aria stated. "I hear she could freeze half a country without batting a sweat. So if you face her, you'll need to take her very seriously."

"I see." Ben replied with a thoughtful look. "Thanks, Aria. At least now I know what to expect in this crazy world. I thought I should tell you about my back story since keeping it a secret from Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo obviously made things bad."

"Yeah…" Aria muttered.

However, Ben didn't seem to take it into account. In fact, he let out a yawn before then stretching his arms out as an obvious display that he was feeling sleepy.

"Well I think it's about time we heard off to sleep." He said with a tired voice. "Let's go over the hill and…"

"Not yet." Aria suddenly said. She caught Ben by surprise, as he raised his eyebrow at her. But before he could say a word, she suddenly held his left wrist and looked at him with a sad look on her face. "If you don't mind…I want to know about them…Tatsumi, Ieyasu and…Sayo..Please, Ben."

Ben was silent in response to her request. The tiredness he felt seemed to have disappeared as all he felt was a bit of tension. He had a feeling why she would ask this, but thought not to say about it yet. However, as her grip on his wrist tightened, the young man finally succumbed to her request.

-(LINE BREAK-

Back at Night Raid's hideout, some progress was made in the meeting room. Each member had given their account of the battle with Ben Tennyson until now it was Najenda's time to speak to them. The smile on her face showed the information was good as every word said by the assassins went through her head.

"I must say, this information is good." Najenda said straightly. "Ben may be powerful, but he's flawed by his own Teigu. If we meet him again, and play our parts right, we may be able to beat him. Since he can't transform into the Teigu he wants always, we can exploit his confusion to our advantage. But if that doesn't work, we may be able to achieve something by striking the symbol the Teigu displays or wait till his Teigu changes him back to normal. However, we still lack the knowledge about his past" That was when she turned at Tatsumi and Ieyasu. "Tatsumi, Ieyasu, I understand you don't know much about him, but whatever you remember of him would be good. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, boss." Tatsumi said affirmative. Ieyasu agreed along with him.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **Yeah, I'm so sorry the chapter isn't long. I wanted to get this out of the way so I can later post the other half. That half is about 9,000 to 10,000 words (although it might be more than that. I'm still writing at it by the time I'm typing this).**

 **The next chapter would have a flashback as indicated by both scenes by Ben and Night Raid, so you'll get to see Tatsumi's life in the village, as well as how he met Ben and knew about a few of the aliens which I hinted in the previous chapters. Along with that, Sayo's closeness with Ben would be explored, as well as Ben's reasons for not using Alien X. I know I said I'll have that be in this chapter, but like I said, the chapter was too long. So you're going to have to wait until that chapter is completed.**

 **So who wants to know who dies? I'm asking this because in one of the previous chapters, I revealed who would live, so it's only fair that I mention who dies.**

 **Now on to some important things about this fanfiction. When I started this story, I honestly didn't have it all planned out like I do now. This was based on the idea of Ben saving Aria and basically seeing how that would alter the events of Akame ga Kill. But due to your support, I've been extending the idea to give certain bad characters some redemption due to reasons that will be revealed when the time comes. However, that isn't the important part. No, it's actually one of the characters of Akame ga Kill that I felt very sorry for because I felt bad for him since he was manipulated throughout his life (before getting axed. Haha. Hint!). I won't say who it is, but if I do make him redeemable, his action would change the course of Akame ga kill as a whole. That means I'll deviate from the manga, not as a whole, but in large areas. Can you guess who this character is? If so, please mention him and I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter if you got him right.**

 **There is one other thing I wanted to mention, but I feel that would give away future plots. So with that said, I'll be getting to the next chapter. Thank you once again for your support. Please keep it up!**


	9. Flashbacks, Guilt and A cousin returns?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another action packed chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Once again, thank you for your continuous support of the fanfiction. I see some new readers have joined in to read this story since the previous chapter.

A quick shout out to the reviewer, Gamma102, for giving a guess on the character I gave. He/she didn't get it right, but I appreciate the effort that was made. But if you and other readers want to give it a try, I have other hints to the character at the end of the character.

Anyway this chapter is going to have a bit of a different formatting. So just so you understand, here's how it is below.

Flashback one would be by Ben. Since he was the only one there with Tatsumi and Ieyasu unaware, he'll be the one talking about it. As for the rest, despite some of it having Tatsumi and Ieyasu talking, you should note that Ben is also telling the same to Aria.

Next this chapter will use _**Bold**_ captions and italics like the ones I just used. So if you see it, it just means those of the present time talking. The only time the bold caption would be used is when Ben is Rath.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 9: Flashbacks, Guilt and…An old cousin returns?**

 **FLASHBACK (BY BEN)**

 _ **Ben: Well it started two weeks and a few days ago. A friend of mine who's a timetraveller told me about this world. I was bored at the time because after this…intergalactic field trip I went with my cousin and two best friends, life back home was boring. So I thought "Well I might as well do this thing. It's got to be fun than being bored." But men…I had no idea what I was going into…partly because I didn't let that friend of mine finish. So I ended up like…**_

Somewhere at the icy mountains, a blue portal appeared a few feet from the snowy ground. It had appeared in a large deserted field as human being could be seen for miles away, especially in the hard weather it was going through. But a part of that changed when Ben jumped right out and landed on the ground with his arms out, while possessing a wide smirk on his face.

"Alright, I'm here, Paradox!" Ben exclaimed.

However, the teen soon found something wrong. The portal closed immediately after, much to his shock, as he turned back just to realize what just happened.

"Uh…That doesn't look good." Ben stated. He paused for a moment and looked around him, before the full impact of icy breeze hit him to the point that he wrapped his arms around his chest. "Yup…this really isn't good. Where the heck are you, Paradox?"

No reply came. But now that Ben looked around, he realized his full predicament. The weather of the icy mountain was seriously cold as harsh ice came rushing down to the ground from the skies which held no sunlight. Hence, because the superhero wasn't prepared, he began to shiver as he began walking forward.

"N-Note to self…Le-Let Paradox finish before jum-jumping into the portal."

 _ **Aria: Wait, you actually did that? What kind of idiot are you?**_

 _ **Ben (sighs) : The kind that also forgot his jacket apparently…**_

 _ **Aria: I was being rhetorical.**_

 _ **Ben: I know. But besides that, I was able to find a cave where I was able to wait out the storm until I could explore the place.**_

 _ **Aria: Okay, but don't you like have one those…creature things to help you ou?.**_

 _ **Ben: Yeah…To be honest with you, sometimes I forget the Omnitrix comes in handy besides in a fight.**_

 _ **Aria: Idiot!**_

-(LINE BREAK)-

 _ **FLASHBACK 2 (BY TATSUMI AND IEYASU, and unknowingly Ben to Aria)**_

 _ **Tatsumi: So it was a stormy cold weather, everyone in the village waited it out until the storm passed. But because the village lacked edible meat due to the heavy taxes it suffered, Ieyasu, Sayo and I ventured off to the mountains to take on the snow Danger Beasts there. It was fun. We showed those Danger Beasts our skills and Ieyasu was…**_

 _ **Mine: Get to the point!**_

 _ **Ieyasu: Hey! Don't yell at him!**_

 _ **Mine: Hmph!**_

 _ **Sheele: I think we're getting off topic.**_

 _ **Tatsumi: You're right. Sorry!**_

 _ **Ieyasu: So anyway…we were able to kill like a bunch of Danger Beasts when one of them caused an avalanche. Tatsumi and I were able to make it, but Sayo….**_

()

"Sayoooo!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu exclaimed.

It had only been a few seconds since the two young men were able to avoid the avalanche. But by doing so, both had missed seeing Sayo fail to react on time, hence they were standing at a high edge, worried and fearful of the fate of their friend.

"Tatsumi, we have to do something. She'll freeze to death!" Ieyasu shouted in a bit of panic.

"I know. Maybe we can –"

 _ **Tatsumi: And that's when he came into our lives..."**_

True to that, Ben did come, but not in a way one would expect. The superhero could be seen making a dive into the ice as Rath, who looked very angry as usual.

" **Lemme tell you something, Omnitrix! Picking Rath for this job has got to be the worse you can make Rath do!"**

"Uh, what is that?" Ieyasu asked, looking

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned.

By the time Ieyasu could say what it was, Rath had already dived right in. Apparently, Tatsumi had been looking at his friend when it happened. But that didn't stop the spiky haired teen from pointing down at where Rath dived in, which was a big hole in the snow.

"Right there. Didn't you see it?" Ieyasu said.

"No. What was –"

" **RAAAAAHHHHH!"**

Before the two of them could properly react, something else happened. Rath suddenly jumped right out of the snow covered ground, only to then go over them and land behind them with his back at them. His sudden appearance immediately made both Tatsumi and Ieyasu to draw out their weapons, as both swiftly turned him, ready for what might happen.

"Woah! What is that?!" Ieyasu asked in shock.

"I don't know, but we can't drop out guard for a second." Tatsumi said determinedly

Their intention to take on Rath didn't go unheard, though. In fact, it annoyed Rath, who then turned his head at them with scowl before turning fully at them with someone familiar in his hands.

" **Lemme tell you something, boys with the pointy weapons that want to take on Rath, Rath just jumped into a bunch of snow! But if you want to take on Rath then it has to wait! Rath has to get this little girl to someplace other than here before she freezes to death!"**

"Sayo!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu exclaimed. They were surprised, shocked and relieved to see their friend was okay. But then a reality just hit then; the Danger Beast actually talked.

"Wait, you can talk?" Both asked in unison.

" **What?! Of course Rath can talk!"** Rath yelled in offended manner. **"Now if you both are done standing like a duo of pansies, let's save her before she freezes to death!"**

Tatsumi silently agreed. He looked at Ieyasu, who seemed to be in disbelief, but said nothing to him. Instead, he sheathed his sword and went over to Rath, when suddenly Ieyasu spoke out.

"Tatsumi!" Ieyasu called out. "You can't seriously trust that…thing!"

" **Hey, who you calling a thing!"** Rath yelled.

However, Tatsumi chose to ignore it. He noticed how his friend shuttered upon Rath's response though, before holding Rath's wrist and turning his head at Ieyasu seriously. "We don't have time, Ieyasu. We're just going to have to trust him, okay?" Then he turned to Rath. "There's a village just north of here, do you think you can give us a lift on your back."

" **Sure. Rath got ya."** Rath assured him.

So with said, Tatsumi did as intended. He climbed on to Rath's back while holding his fur, before looking over the creature's shoulder, at his friend. "Ieyasu, come on! We have to get Sayo back to the village!"

"Ugh, fine." Ieyasu complied. He went over to the nine foot creature and climbed on its back next to Tatsumi. "But if this guy eats us, don't say I didn't warn you. Ow!"

Rath almost snarled. He had nudged his shoulder in response to Ieyasu's false accusation, before turning back, preparing to leap away. **"Lemme tell you, spiky haired boy, you're on Rath's list when this is over."**

Ieyasu shuddered again in response to the humanoid tiger again. He didn't know what 'list' Rath meant, as whatever it could be sounded something bad. But there wasn't time to talk about it due to Rath, who made a leap off into the air, heading straight for the direction of their village.

-(LINE BREAK)-

 _ **Aria: So that's how you met them.**_

 _ **Ben: Yup! Ieyasu was a jerk, but I understand after changing back that he had the right to think that. But that happens later on. I was able to take Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo to their village thanks to Tatsumi's directions and got to the village on time. But there was a bit of a problem…**_

()

After many leaps in the air, Rath finally landed on the ground in the village. The place wasn't much, as it had few wooden houses and a number of people in winter clothes that likely lived there. But once they felt and heard the impact of Rath landing, all eyes went on the creature before them.

"AAAHHHH! A DANGER BEAST!" Someone screamed.

It had only been a few seconds and already people wanted to run away. But fortunately the latter didn't happen when Tatsumi and Ieyasu came done from the creature, much to the shock of everyone.

"Everyone, relax. He's with us." Tatsumi stated boldly.

However, by doing so, it brought confusion among the people. As a result, whispers could be heard among the men and women as they watched with their eyes to see Tatsumi turn to Rath, who handed Sayo into his arms before he turned back to everyone with a look of worry and concern.

"Someone, please where's doctor –"

"Over here!" shouted an old voice.

The one who Tatsumi intended to call to walked out of the small crowd. He seemed to be a man in his seventies as he had a grey beard, black hair which most of them were grey combed to both sides while wearing a blue and white weather clothes. He surprisingly didn't seem intimidated by Rath's appearance fortunately, as he went over to Tatsumi who then handed him Sayo into his hands.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Sayo got caught in an avalanche. She needs your medical attention quick." Tatsumi said.

"I understand." The man said with a nod. Then he turned away and began running. "Follow me!"

"Right!" Tatsumi nodded.

Ieyasu, on the other hand, was about to go when he noticed Rath coming behind him. He hadn't expected the alien hero to do so, as he knew it would be trouble. So with a turn, he held at his hand at Rath in a stop motion and a glare from his casted on the alien hero.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to –"

However, Ieyasu didn't get to finish. This was because Rath backhanded him so hard that he fell into the snowy ground a few feet from him before walking the same direction Tatsumi went. His action caused the people in his way to step away from him, as no one dared to oppose the creature for fear of what he could do. After all, none of them were warriors.

Rath knew his figure at the moment was scary, but could care less. If he transformed back into Ben, he'll be attacked by the cold weather again even though it wasn't stormy. But besides that, he was concerned about Sayo despite the scary look on his face said otherwise as he continued making his way to a small hut. He could already see Tatsumi emerging out of the hut, when he then came to a stop and stood before him.

" **Is she going to be okay?"** He asked.

"Uh…yeah." Tatsumi said. He hadn't given Rath much thought before, but he did now. The creature, for some reason, was concerned for Sayo. It was weird. But rather than dwell on that, Tatsumi pointed back at the hut and continued. "The doctor knows what he's doing. But it's best we come back a few hours later."

" **Good to hear."** Rath commented.

But before anything could said, Ieyasu came walking with his axe in hand. He had a scowl on his face as he approached Rath, as he had a different thought in mind. But upon his eyes shifting to Tatsumi, the anger he felt changed to concern before he ran to Tatsumi with concern.

"Is Sayo going to be okay?" He asked.

"She'll be fine." Tatsumi said in assurance. "If it weren't for…Rath, it might have taken us longer to save her…that is if we could save her." Then he turned his attention at Rath and bow at him in gratitude. "Thank you."

"Yeah…" Ieyasu said and bowed at Rath. "Thank you…and sorry about my comment earlier."

" **Hmph!"** Rath responded and crossed his arms over his chest. **"You better be! But…it's cool. Rath doesn't like that, so you can stand up straight now!"**

"Oh right." Tatsumi replied. He stood straight immediately, with his best friend doing the same.

At the same time, the small crowd from before began to gather. They still kept a distance from Rath though, as all whispers of shock and surprises were shared among them. Apparently, they had just heard a Danger Beast (Rath) talk. It was freaky, scary and at the same time something amazing to see. But before Rath could say anything to them, the dial on his belt began to flash and make a strange noise. It caught the attention of the two teenagers before him, as well as everyone one, while Rath sighed as he threw both his hands down at his side.

" **Aw poop."** He said. Then he looked at Tatsumi, pointing at the coat he wore. **"Hey, I'm going to need a coat like yours. You got a spare?"**

"I do…but why do you –"

Tatsumi didn't get to finish. The flashing from the strange symbol of the alien hero's chest came to an end and engulfed Rath in a flash of green light. It caused both Tatsumi and Ieyasu to shield their eyes with their arms, while the villagers watched just in time to let out exclamations of shock and surprise. It was unknown to the duo though, as they were dropping their arms when they saw who now stood before them. Rath was no longer in their place, but instead a teenage boy around their age, shivering with his arms holds himself.

"S-So about that coat! ACHOO!" Ben sneezed.

-(LINE BREAK)-

 _ **Tatsumi: So after that happened, the chief stepped in. He was surprised by what Ben did, but unlike everybody else was willing to welcome him to his hut along with Ieyasu and I. It was there he offered Ben some soup before speaking to him…**_

()

"I must say, this is truly a surprise." said the chief.

Presently, everyone was at a table at their own seat. The hut wasn't big, but it was accommodating enough due to its cleanness and few rooms. On the table, Tatsumi and Ieyasu sat at the right side, while Ben sat at the end, facing the chief, who then made his way to his chair at the other end and sat on it. Speaking of the superhero, he wore a blue and white coat like Tatsumi and Ieyasu, while sipping on some of the soup.

"Thanks for the soup, sir." Ben said gratefully.

"You're welcome." The chief said with a smile. "You saved my daughter, so it's the least I could do."

"Wait, the girl's your daughter?" Ben asked, a bit surprised.

However, the chief waved it off with his chuckling smile. "No, I actually consider all the young men and women in this village as my children. It isn't easy to manage the place with the heavy taxes we get, but we'll be able to continue until Tatsumi and Ieyasu make it back from the Capital with Sayo. The money they'll provide will help very much."

Now this got Ben's inner attention. "The Capital, huh?" He asked, seemingly interested. "I actually want to head there, but I…don't know my way around."

"You're going to the Capital?" Ieyasu asked, surprised.

"Yup." Ben said and took another sip of the soup with his spoon. "You guys don't mind if I tag along, right?"

"We don't." Tatsumi answered. A determined smile formed on his face before he then pumped his fist at his chest and nodded at Ben. "You saved Sayo. It's the least we could do."

"But…" The chief added. "Right now they're not ready to go. They'll be set to leave in a week. But until then, they'll be training for the journey. We don't want anything bad to happen to them, after all."

()

 _ **Lubbock: I hate to be the downer, but you sure the old man didn't just jinx you guys?**_

 _ **Tatsumi (sighed and anime sweat drop): I'm sure he meant well.**_

 _ **()**_

"I understand." Ben replied in agreement. He didn't seem disappointed in itthough, as he immediately went back to sipping from the soup. The taste wasn't so bad.

But then Ieyasu decided to speak. "By the way, how did you turn into that Danger Beast?" He asked.

"Huh?" Ben questioned. He looked up from his soup and turned to the teen. "Are you talking about Rath?"

"Yes, that guy." Ieyasu said. He had a hint of curiosity as he continued. "You were kind of a di – Ow!"

Tatsumi nudged Ieyasu with his elbow with a glare. It caught the teen by surprise as he held the pained area before looking at Tatsumi, who then gestured his head at the chief. Once that happened, he frowned and bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Fortunately, Ben didn't seem to be offended by this. In fact, he waved both his hands at the teen with an awkward smile on his face. "It's okay, dude. I mean it."

Ieyasu sighed in relief and sat back down. It had occurred to him before that he almost cursed, if not that Tatsumi intervened. But now that, that was out of the way, Ben raised his Omnitrix arm at everyone to see.

"I didn't want to talk about this, but I feel I owe you guys." Ben said straightly. "This is the Omnitrix. With this, I'm able to turn into Rath and over seventy other al – creatures."

"Over seventy?" Tatsumi questioned, seemingly surprised.

"No way." Ieyasu responded in disbelief. He then pointed at the device. "There's no way such a small thing could do that."

"Ieyasu, behave yourself!" The chief shouted.

Ieyasu became silent in compliance. But by doing so, Ben felt a bit awkward as he placed his arm back on his side, when suddenly a knock at the door was heard. It took away any tension the teen superhero felt, as a young man opened the door and stepped in, facing them from behind Ben. He caught the attention as all eyes were on him before he spoke.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. The doctor said it's fine to see Sayo now."

-(LINE BREAK)-

 _ **Ben: …the moment the guy reported about Sayo, I felt relieved. I guess I was very worried than I thought before. But now that we knew, we set off to see her in the hut. When we got there, we noticed her on a small bed, just about to sit up. The chief excused himself and the doctor for some reason, but I couldn't care. Tatsumi and Ieyasu went over to her first while I stayed by the door, when…**_

 _ **()**_

"Sayo, you're okay." Tatsumi said with a relieved smile on his face.

"Of course I am." Sayo remarked with a smirk. "It'll take more than some snow and cold to hold me back."

Ieyasu grinned slyly. "And you call me careless. Now look who's in bed."

"Aw shut it." Sayo responded with a small glare. She hated to admit it, but Ieyasu was right. She had been careless during the fight, until now she realized it. But as she crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly, she noticed Ben standing by the door and became a bit confused. "Who are you? I've never seen you in the village before?"

"Oh, I'm Ben Tennyson." Ben said, introducing himself. He saw that moment as the chance to the join the others before walking to stand next to them. "I'm glad you're okay. It almost seemed like you would've frozen to death."

Sayo was a bit relieved, but still confused. She knew for sure she hadn't seen Ben's face before until now. Fortunately, Tatsumi noticed this as he faced her and gestured to Ben. "Sayo, Ben's the one who saved you from the snow."

"Really?" Sayo asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you should've seen it." Ieyasu added with a grin. "He was this tiger-like Danger Beast with a claw on both hands and –"

Sayo laughed. Her action caught the spiky black haired teen by surprise as he dropped his grin, only to replace it with confusion. But before he could ask, Sayo beat him to it with a joyful smile on his face.

"Ieyasu, are you sure you're not the one that was trapped in an avalanche?" Sayo joked rhetorically.

Ieyasu shot a glare at her in response. But before he could speak, Tatsumi interjected as he still gestured to Ben. "Actually, Sayo…Ieyasu is right. Ben was actually a Danger Beast."

"What?" Sayo questioned. She glanced at Tatsumi and then at Ben, before crossing her arms and looking offended at the trio. "This better not be a joke, you guys. There's no way a guy like that could be a Danger Beast."

"Well I'm not a Danger Beast." Ben said in correction. "But I can show you one of the transformations I have."

"One of the – Fine." Sayo replied. She didn't really seemed convinced though, just by the look of her face.

Fortunately, Ben didn't let her attitude discourage him. He gestured to Ieyasu and Tatsumi to take a few steps, before pushing the sleeve of the cat he wore and placed his fingers on the Omnitrix. The faceplate of the device then displayed the usual hologram ring of alien icon faces until he picked up, just for the faceplate to slide down. Then, with a slam of his hand on the core, he was engulfed by a flash of green light which caused everyone present to shield their eyes with their hands.

"What the =" Sayo said in surprise.

The transformation that took place before them was in an instant. The teenage boy with brown hair was entirely covered by the green light until it died down to reveal someone entirely different. This form wasn't like Rath, though; In fact, it was beyond anything animal related. It was a tall and muscular magma-based lifeform with a body that was composed of a bright yellow inner magma body covered in dark red rocks which surprisingly allowed it to radiate fire and heat. The Omnitrix symbol was on its chest.

"Oh my…" Sayo muttered slowly. Her eyes were widened as she stared metaphorically infinitely at the creature that stood before her. "Y-you're –"

"Awesome? I know." Ben concluded for her. "I call this guy Heatblast."

"Warrrrmmm."

"Huh?" Healtblast questioned, confused.

It was then at that moment he realized what Sayo was trying to say. The young woman had a huge smile on her face as she lay down on her body, feeling the nice heat of Heatblast from where she was. Her action surprised the alien hero though, as he blinked twice before noticing two certain teenage boys closing up to him with their hands at him.

"So warm!" Tatsumi said with a wide smile on his face.

"Yeah!" Ieyasu expressed the same.

However, their feeling didn't go with Heatblast. It took a few seconds later for the alien hero to realize what was going on around him. Hence, he became annoyed as he glared at Tatsumi and Ieyasu with a pointed finger. "Hey! Would you stop that?! I'm not your average heater!"

"We're sorry!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu said in unison. This was then followed with both of them taking a step back in fright at the thought of offending the alien hero. The same couldn't be said about Sayo, though. She lay peacefully on her bed, with sleepy eyes as she stared at Heatblast, who she then called to.

"Hey…Ben, do you mind staying for a bit?" She asked.

"Huh?" Heatblast turned to her.

"Please…" Sayo said, this time with a sleepy voice. "Just a few minutes at least."

Now it was Heatblast who was to decide. He could say no to Sayo, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to. The young woman looked very peaceful as she curled herself under her blanket that the hero just couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Fine, I'll stay." Heatblast sighed in defeat.

As for Tatsumi and Ieyasu, both of them remained quiet. They were surprised at what just happened, before that changed for Tatsumi as a warming smile came on his face. "Come on, Ieyasu, let's go." He said to his friend.

"Huh?" Ieyasu questioned, surprised. Then he turned to his friend. "Are you sure about that? We can't leave Sayo with him."

"We can." Tatsumi replied. "He cares about Sayo. I've seen it. Besides, Sayo needs her rest after all that she went through."

"Okay." Ieyasu said in admittance.

As much as the spiky haired teen wanted to disprove Tatsumi, he knew his friend was right. He had seen the concern Ben has had for Sayo considering he was the one who saved her. So without saying a word, both of them went out the door, leaving Heatblast to stand next to a now sleeping Sayo.

-(LINE BREAK)-

 _ **Aria: Huh…Sayo sounded like a nice girl…kind of like how she was when I met her…**_

 _ **Ben: Yeah, she really was. Now that I think about it, she kind of reminded me of Julie.**_

 _ **Aria: Julie?**_

 _ **Ben: Oh, she's one of my ex-girlfriends.**_

 _ **Aria (-.-): You're unbelievable.**_

 _ **Ben: Wait! At least hear me out!**_

 _ **Aria: No!**_

 _ **Ben (sighs): I tried…**_

 _ **()**_

The next day came by with Ben walking next to Tatsumi. The time was at some point in the morning, as both boys headed to the only big hut in the village, the mess hall, where other villagers could be seen entering. They had a small chat during the time, as both of them got to know about each other before entering the place without any trouble.

"…So you have a creature that can disappear too?" Tatsumi asked.

"Not really…" Ben replied. "He actually turns invisible. I call him Big Chill. He can shoot ice out of his mouth, but he isn't the only creature that can turn invisible and breathe out ice."

"Wow…That's amazing." Tatsumi said in awe.

It hadn't been twenty-four hours and already Tatsumi was fascinated by the young teen. But the same it couldn't be said about the villagers, who all became quiet upon the teen hero's arrival. In fact, their silence was so much that it was hard to believe that there was ever chatting going on there.

"Wow…quiet place." Ben commented with a frown.

It was no secret to him on the reason the mess hall was like that. But rather than dwell on that, he changed his expression and turned to Tatsumi. "So where do we get some food? I'm getting hungry." He asked.

"Huh? Oh." Tatsumi said absentmindedly. He had before been facing the other villagers until he heard Ben and turned to him. "I'm sorry about that. We should get our share as soon as –"

"Tatsumi! Ben!" shouted a familiar female voice.

The voice that called out to them got their attention immediately as they turned their attention it. It was revealed then to be Sayo, as she could be seen running towards them with Ieyasu behind her, carrying a crying five year old.

"Sayo, what's wrong?" Tatsumi asked.

"Trouble." Sayo answered. She and Ieyasu then came to a stop before the two teenagers, before she then pointed back at the crying kid. "Ichiro's father fell inside a hole in the ground and can't get out. We have to go save him."

"Alright." Tatsumi nodded determinedly. "Let's get our weapons and move out with a rope."

"Can I help?" Ben asked. He too had a determined look on his face as he continued. "I might be able to do something. I can't let someone get harmed while I'm around."

Sayo smiled and nodded. "Sure. Just be sure to keep up."

"I will." Ben smirked.

With that said, Tatsumi agreed with a nod. Ieyasu, on the other hand, said nothing as he sent a determined looking nod at Ben, who in turn sent it back at him. Then, as both Tatsumi and Sayo began to leave, Ben took the kid out of Ieyasu's hand and placed him softly on the ground. It was nice to see the kid stop crying, as it made what Ben did a bit easier as he got on one knee, facing the kid.

"Don't worry. We'll bring your father safe and sound." He said determinedly.

"Um…okay." The kid answered.

The mother of the child witnessed this from the entrance. She didn't know what to make of it though, as she watched Ben pat the kid softly on the head before proceeding out the door with Ieyasu by his side. Once that happened, she went to her child and held him in her hands, while the villagers watched, having seen what had happened before, with thoughts about Ben seemingly changing.

 _ **_(LINE BREAK)_**_

 _ **Ieyasu: So there we were. We set off to the woods to find the kid's father. He was a woodsman, so we knew where he would be.**_

 _ **Tatsumi: Actually, Sayo and I knew where he would be. Ieyasu kind of…**_

 _ **Ieyasu: Don't ruin this for me!**_

 _ **()**_

After a long time of running, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo and Ben made it to a clearing. It wasn't huge, but it was big as the snow constantly covered the ground. As for what they were looking for, Tatsumi was able to see it before leading everyone to it without haste.

"That's the hole the kid said." Sayo noted.

"Yup." Ben agreed.

As each step took them closer, the four of them were able to approach the hole before coming to a stop. Once that happened, the four of them looked down, with Tatsumi down on his knees as he looked down further to the bottom. He noticed it was deep, but was a bit relieved to see the man they were looking for there.

"I see him." Tatsumi announced. Then he called out. "Sir, we're here! Just hold on!"

"Huh?" questioned the trapped villager. But when he looked up, a feeling of relief came over him as a wide smile formed. "Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo! I'm so glad you made it!"

The villager seemed to be a man in his early thirties. He had black hair with silver colored eyeballs, while wearing the traditional weather clothes of blue and white. However, just as he seemed happy to see the trio, he then brought up something that would surprise them.

"Where's the Demon Bird? It's gone, right?"

"Demon Bird?" Ben asked, confused.

Suddenly, a loud bird-like cry was heard all over the area. It caught the attention of the four teens, as all eyes went up, forward, just in time to see a giant bird creature coming straight for them. Its talons would've gotten them if not that everyone jumped out of the way, including Tatsumi, as that led them to fall on the ground, but not losing sight of the creature.

On obvious sight, the creature was a Danger Beast with a familiarity by the locals. It had the head of an eagle, with the crown of a cock on its head, and red eyes. Its wings were white at one side, but blue at the end downside, while having a hand attached to upper tip for three claws to show. As for its legs, it resembled that of an eagle, with its feather tail being white. The Danger Beast seemed set on killing them as it landed right in front out them, letting out a bird-like roar.

"I'm guessing that's the Demon Bird." Ben said, stating the obvious.

Having avoided the creature just in time, the four teenagers stood up with their eyes on the Danger Beast. It had its red eyes on them, as it extended its wings, likely ready to attack again. But before that happened, Tatsumi reacted as he turned to Sayo urgently.

"Sayo, we have to get the father out of there." He told her.

"What about you?" Sayo asked.

"Ben and I got this. Now go."

Sayo understood and nodded in response. She knew for sure that Tatsumi could hold his own against a Danger Beast, especially with Ben by his side. Hence, she turned to the Omnitrix user and said determinedly. "Goodluck."

Ben, on the other hand, didn't have enough time to say back. Sayo didn't give him the chance to. She immediately grabbed Ieyasu's wrist before running of the hole, with the guy seemingly disappointed.

"Wait, I'm not going to fight?" Ieyasu asked.

"Just help me out!" Sayo yelled.

Seeing both of them run off to help was admirable to see. But the situation didn't call for a bit of nostalgia, especially from Ben as he and Tatsumi turned to the Danger Beast, which was looking intimidating at them. But before it could attack, at that moment, both teens charged at it, with Tatsumi gripping his sword with both hands.

"Let's take this one down together!" Tatsumi exclaimed with a determined voice.

"Right!" Ben agreed determinedly. He pushed the sleeve of his coat immediately after and began working on the Omnitrix. "And I got just the right hero to take this one down!"

Tatsumi liked the sound of that. Hence, with a slam of his hands on the Omnitrix core, Ben was engulfed in a flash of green light. But when the light died down, the hero expressed dismay as he looked at his arms while still running next to Tatsumi.

"Crashhopper?" Ben expressed in shock. His voice now had a cricket sound to it.

In his words, he was right. He was an alien that greatly resembles a mix between a grasshopper and a praying mantis with significantly large three jointed hind limbs with his entire body having a green scheme. He had a large segmented horn on top of his head and two smaller horns on the sides of his head where the eyes were placed, while having large feet, as well as well as having two sharp fingers and a thumb on each hand and two light-colored claw-like toes on his feet along with one on the back. Lastly, he wore a suit which represents green overalls with three black stripes and a green tip. The green stripe on his stomach had a large hexagonal patch where the Omnitrix symbol was located and a smaller white stripe.

"Fine! I make this work!" Crashhopper stated determinedly.

However, there soon came a problem. The Danger Beast chose that moment to attack as it raised its wings upwards in such a way that both Tatsumi and Crashhopper knew what was coming next. So before it could flap downwards, both of them jumped out of the way sideways just in time to avoid its mighty wind strike in the form of a signal flap of its wings. The attack was strong enough to send the snow in its direction, as it headed straight for Sayo, who was holding the end of a rope as Ieyasu was in the hole, accompanying the villager from below. But due to Sayo's attention being at the rescue mission, she got hit by the air strike, causing her to let go of the rope and be sent flying.

"Sayo!" Both Crashhopper and Tatsumi cried out in mix of shock. But it was the alien hero who shot a glare at the Danger Beast. "Now you've done it!"

The Demon Bird squawked at the alien hero in response. But what soon followed next was unexpected as Crashhopper leapt at the Danger Beast with such force and speed that he collided its large horn-head against Danger Beast's throat, causing it to sent off a few feet off the ground and hitting the ground on its side with a pained cry.

"Wow…" Tatsumi said in a bit of awe. But he then shook his head and turned back to Sayo. "Sayo, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Sayo said, although that was a bit of a lie. The Danger Beast's attack had caught her off guard and in a way hurt her. But she hid it as she got back on her feet, heading back to the hole. "You and Ben just hold off the Danger Beast. Ieyasu and I will take care of the mission."

"Okay…" Tatsumi replied in understanding. "Just be okay."

"Hmph! You worry too much" Sayo remarked.

Tatsumi cocked a determined smirk at her in response. It was obvious there was no reason to argue with her; hence he went back to the battle. As for the black haired girl, she ran to the hole, where she crouched down and looked down at the bottom.

"Ieyasu, are the both of you okay?" Sayo asked.

"Y-Yeah." Ieyasu groaned and rose from the ground.

When Sayo had unintentionally let go of the rope, the result for Ieyasu and the villager had resulted in time falling back to the bottom. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have sustained any injury as he rubbed the back of his head before casting an annoyed glare at Sayo.

"What the hell was that for?!" He yelled angrily.

"Me?!" Sayo responded offended. "I was attacked by the Danger Beast! Now check on the father! Is he okay?"

"Oh…" Ieyasu muttered. The feeling he held for his friend changed to a bit of shame as he realized what he did. But rather than dwell on it, he changed his outlook and turned to the villager, who was on the ground unresponsive. He was able to then get on his knees and touch the man's throat for a pulse, before looking back up at Sayo. "He's okay, but it looks like he's unconscious."

"This isn't good…" Sayo said with a thoughtful look. She took that moment then to look back at Tatsumi and Crashhopper, both of whom were fending off against the Danger Beast as it was back on their feet. She wished she could help, but the rescue was important. As a result, she turned back at Ieyasu. "You're too deep now. Is there a way you could find your way up with him?"

"Hmm." Ieyasu hummed. He walked over to the hole's wall and touched it with his hands for a reason. Once he did that, he looked back up at Sayo and shouted. "Looks like it's time to put my mountain climbing skill to the test."

Sayo smiled in response to this. She knew obviously by what the teen meant and so stood up and watched what was to unfold.

Meanwhile, back at the fight, both Tatsumi and Crashhopper were still fighting the Danger Beast. The Demon Bird had proven to be quite a formidable opponent, as it cleverly was able to dodge Crashhopper leaps for it and avoid Tatsumi's swift strikes. As a result, it was clear that the creature was fast despite its size.

"How are you going to hit it?" Crashhopper asked. Currently, he was standing by Tatsumi's right as both he and the young man were looking at the Danger Beast, facing them once again. "For the brain of a bird, this bird isn't dumb."

"I know." Tatsumi said. "It looks like close quarter attacks won't do. But we just have to wait for Sayo and Ieyasu to get the man out so we can take it down together."

"Or I could just do –"

Unfortunately, Crashhopper didn't get to finish. The reason for that was the Demon Bird, who rushed at them with a flap of its wings, causing both to jump out of the way, sideways. But as Tatsumi landed on his feet, the Demon Bird turned to hit and let out a blast of air out of its mouth with so much power that it sent the young man flying.

"Tatsumi!" Crashhopper shouted. Seeing Tatsumi flung away like he was a piece of paper was surprising to the alien hero. But just as the surprise came, it faded away to be replaced by anger as the alien hero scowled at the Danger Beast. "That's it! You're getting it now!" He shouted.

The Danger Beast turned to Crashhopper in response upon hearing him. But as it did so, Crashhopper was already heading at him from another shockwave-created leapt. Unfortunately, his intention to hit the creature by the forehead didn't work as it widened its beak and clamped down on him, much to his surprise.

"Not good!" Crashhopper shouted.

It also didn't help that the Danger Beast was trying to eat him. However, Crashhopper was able to put up a fight by making a stand on its tongue, before lifting the beak open to expose him to fresh air once again. But that wasn't to say he was out of trouble yet.

"He-Hey! I know I'm a bug and all, but I don't see my life ending as bird food!" Crashhopper shouted.

The situation, at this point, was getting worse as each second passed. Crashhopper could feel his strength weakening as the Danger Beast kept putting pressure down on his beak to eat him. Fortunately, its effort didn't go accomplished as three arrows were shot at its throat, a few seconds apart from each other. The unexpected attack caused the creature to cry out in pain to such an extent that it threw Crashhopper to the snowy ground, where he fell on his side.

"Ben, are you okay?"

"Ugh…" Crashhopper groaned.

The impact to the ground wasn't bad, partly due to the snow. But the obvious fact that he had been thrown off the beak of a Danger Beast still hurt. Fortunately, he was able to get back on his feet just in time to turn to the one who called him, revealing to be Sayo, running towards him with Ieyasu having the unconscious villager over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Crashhopper answered.

However, the time to talk wasn't at that particular moment. `The reason for that was the Danger Beast, which turned its monstrous head at the humans with clear anger. It was about to let out a squawk, but didn't when it suddenly it whipped its head back just in time to see Tatsumi heading straight for it. The brown haired teen hero had his sword by his side, with both hands gripped on it, as he seemed dead-set on striking the Danger Beast. But upon it sensing the killing intention, the Danger Beast flapped its wings and began to fly upwards. The result of its wings flapping made some snow and mist to brush past the others, while also reaching Tatsumi if not that he leapt at the Danger Beast.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted the brave teenager.

The determination in his eyes was as real as they could ever be as he let out a loud battle cry. The Danger Beast had been fast, but it wasn't fast enough to escape his blade. Hence, as the teen drew close to one of its leg, it slashed its sword at it, causing the creature to cry out in pain and fly up faster. As for the teen, he landed right before everyone and turned back at the Danger Beast.

"Damn! I wasn't able to get a fatal hit!" Tatsumi stated in spite.

The Danger Beast, on the other hand, seemed angered. It let out a loud squawk, before opening its beak wide enough as it was ready to unleash something big at the people. Tatsumi and the others seemed to notice this, but couldn't react fast enough before it let out a huge blast of air. Fortunately, Crashhopper reacted by slapping the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, changing him into Diamondhead in an instant.

The alien hero then went into action as he ran to Tatsumi. Once he got to the young man, he grabbed him by the shoulder, much to his surprise, and pushed him back with such force that he fell on his butt amongst his friends. But before he could question it, Diamondhead went on one knee and struck his hands sideways into the ground, causing a large crystal shard pyramid to cover them. His action then proved useful in time as it acted as an effective defense that withstood the incoming air blast.

The same, however, couldn't be said of its surroundings. Apparently, the Demon Bird's attack had been so powerful that it blasted the snow near the defense pyramid while at the same time causing huge cracks to form. By the time it stopped, it looked down to see the pyramid still in perfect shape. But then the pyramids levitated into the air to reveal Diamondhead, who had his hands up as he maintained it. He made sure with the movement of his fingers to cause the pyramids to separate into four, before then sending each other them flying individually at the flying creature.

The Bird Demon had little time to react as it saw them coming. It moved to the right and left to evade the first two triangle shaped attacks, but failed to react properly to the other two. As a result it got hit by the chest and under its beak with such force that it plummet to the ground on its back.

"Now's my chance!" Tatsumi stated.

Before Diamondhead knew it, the teen ran at the Danger Beast. This time, the creature had no time to react to his upcoming attack due it to struggling to get back on its front. But before it could, its life was cut short. Tatsumi came at it in his fastest and slashed on its stomach, right wing, tail and head, killing it instantly as it slumped to the ground dead and blood pouring out of its large wounds.

"Wow…you killed it…" Diamondhead muttered, shocked at what he saw.

"Haha! That's Tatsumi for you!" Ieyasu said with a cocky grin.

Unknown to the trio, however, the sight of the dead Danger Beast disturbed the alien hero. The look in his yellow eyes showed it, as he continuously stared at it while Tatsumi reunited to the others with his sword sheathed. But before he could say a thing about it, he heard a faint sigh, which made him turn to Sayo just in time to catch her in his arms.

"Wow, are you okay?" Diamondhead asked.

"Sayo!" Tatsumi shouted.

From the tension to that moment, everyone was at Sayo with concern. It appeared that she seemed weak, as she lay on Diamondhead's crystal hands with a faint look on her face.

"I'm sorry…" The young woman weakly apologized and winced. "That Danger Beast's attack really got me…"

"It's okay, Sayo." Tatsumi assured her.

"Yeah." Ieyasu agreed.

"They're right." Diamondhead said in agreement. "Now try to stay comfortable. We're heading back to the village."

Sayo smiled in response to this. She felt grateful for her friends as it made her feel some ease at it while her eyes were on Diamondhead. "Fine. But this'll be the last time you carry me." She said.

"We'll see." Diamondhead smirked.

So with nothing else to say, the trio and those they carried went off to the village in a run. Their main concern was for Sayo and the villager, who they knew needed medical attention as soon as possible.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 _ **Aria: Was…Was she okay after that?**_

 _ **Ben: Yeah. We made it to the village, where we got greeted by the villagers. Things changed from that moment on…**_

()

Some time passed as the group made their way to the village uninterrupted. But as they got to the entrance, they noticed a small crowd made up of all the villagers, standing there with concern and confusion amongst them. If it were like the last time, Diamondhead would've let Tatsumi handle it. But once he saw the doctor from before standing there, he went over to him with Sayo still in his hands.

"It's me, Ben. Sayo got hurt." Diamondhead said urgently.

"Uh, I see." The doctor replied. He was initially taken aback when the crystal covered alien walked to him. But as his eyes went on Sayo, he opened his arms for the hero to place her on before looking up at him. "I'll take care of her…and the villager there."

Diamondhead knew what he meant by the latter. But he said nothing as Ieyasu and Tatsumi caught up with Diamondhead and the doctor.

"Follow me, Ieyasu. I can treat them both." The doctor stated assuredly.

"Right." Ieyasu nodded.

With that said, both the doctor and Ieyasu ran off to his medical hut. This meant that Diamondhead and Tatsumi were left to stand before the villagers, who still had their eyes on them, particularly the alien before them. But before they knew it, a loud whining sound was heard from the alien hero, followed by constant green light flashing from the symbol on his belt. There was confusion about this though, until he was engulfed by a flash of green light that changed him back to human.

Just then, a woman and her son emerged from the ground crowd. They seemed wary about their approach though, as the woman seemed to tighten her grip of her child, while making her way to the hero that had just transformed. It was a good thing Ben recognized the boy as the one he met before since it would've felt a bit awkward.

However, that thought wasn't for the moment. Instead, both Tatsumi and Ben were quiet as the woman approached them with looks of concern.

"I-Is my husband going to be okay?" The woman asked.

Ben smiled. "He'll be fine. You don't have to worry. I promise." He assured them.

The woman let out a cry of relief as tears poured out her eyes. The tension she had felt for hours had finally been lifted, as what remained was gratefulness and happiness. But while she cried softly, she loosened her grip on her son, who took that moment to slip out and go over to Ben, hugging him by the legs.

"Thank you, big brother."

"Big brother?" Ben questioned, surprised and confused.

Suddenly, a loud cheer came from the crowd. It caught the teen further by surprise, especially as every villager present began approaching him, either thanking him for what he did or apologizing for their behavior. And just to add to it, Tatsumi patted Ben on the shoulder with a warming smile on his face.

"Ben, they like you now." He stated with a chirpy smile.

"Hmph…" Ben smiled and patted the kid on the head. Then he turned at Tatsumi. "They sure do."

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **FLASHBACK END!**

Back at the present, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were rounding up with their flashback. The two young men were standing before Najenda, who was still seated at her chair, with her attention directly at them. The latter could be said for the other Night Raid members as well as they took in everything Tatsumi and Ieyasu had said, even to this moment.

"…So that's how we trusted him." Tatsumi said, continuing. "The week we stayed in the village, preparing to go to the Capital was fine until we ran into those bandits and got separated. Ieyasu and Sayo were able to stick together just in time to get there earlier, while Ben and I got there a day later."

"So you two never asked the guy of where he lived." Mine stated with a stuck-up attitude. "That's really careless if you ask me."

Ieyasu turned and shot an annoyed glare at her. He hated her attitude and wanted so much to speak against. But he didn't. The reason was due to Tatsumi, as he patted his friend's shoulder while facing the pink haired teen with a straightforward look. "We'll admit we messed up." Tatsumi said honestly. "But we did ask him once. He said he came from a very far place, and since we trusted him, we let it go. He was very good to the village. He used those creatures of his to help everyone's livelihood, so it was hard not to trust him. But if there is one thing he did let out about device of his…"

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **FLASHBACK (AGAIN! But by Tatsumi only)**

Days had passed since the rescue mission and the fight with the Demon Bird. Since then, relations between Ben and the trio had grown more to the point that their trust was strong. So at a particular day, the four of them were at Tatsumi's house, where the two of the boys and Sayo sat at the table while Tatsumi placed a plate each before them. The plate had a few fruits and cooked meat which sent a great aroma in the air.

()

 **Akame: What type of meat was it?**

 **Tatsumi: Now's not the time!**

()

So back at the narration, Tatsumi took a seat at the table, which was at the other end of the table. Ieyasu and Sayo, at the same time, were seated at opposite sides of the table, while Ben sat at the other end, facing Tatsumi.

"Wow! Tatsumi, this smells great!" Ben expressed with a wide smile on his face.

"That's Tatsumi for you!" Ieyasu grinned. "He's a great cook, better than you."

Ben shot the spiky haired teen a glare. "Hey! Cooking isn't my thing, okay?"

Sayo giggled in response. It wasn't to Ieyasu's comment about the Omnitrix user, but the hero himself. Hence, her action then was followed with a nudge at Ieyasu's shoulder, much to the guy's pain and surprise.

"That's enough, Ieyasu!" Sayo said strictly. "Tatsumi invited us to eat with him, so be grateful."

Now it was Ben turn to snicker. It caught the attention of the spiky haired teenager, who then sent an offended glare at him as he rubbed his side. But rather than let that bother him, Ben picked up the spoon and began eating on his food, with the others soon doing the same. It was like that for a few seconds of silence before Tatsumi looked at Ben's with a thought obviously on his mind.

"Hey, Ben, thanks for what you did back there." Tatsumi said gratefully.

"Huh?" Ben questioned. He looked at the other brown haired teen with a piece of meat in his mouth before swallowing it down. He had an idea of what Tatsumi meant. "Oh, you mean the playground?" He asked. "No big. Water Hazard was glad to help."

"You say that." Sayo said and cracked a smile. Then she turned to Tatsumi. "The other day you should've seen it. Ben turned into this giant rock creature without touching. It was so fun to experience flying."

"Wait, you did?" Tatsumi asked, surprised with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, that was Gravattack." Ben confirmed. "He has the ability to move things like Sayo said. I thought about using him then because of Ichiro and a bunch of kids he knew wanted to play with me. It was fun."

"Huh, and where was Tatsumi and I?" Ieyasu asked.

"I don't know." Ben said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe he was helping you find your way back home?"

"Hey! Don't say that!" Ieyasu yelled angrily. "My sense of direction isn't that bad!"

Sayo and Tatsumi laughed out loud. They didn't mind the glare Ieyasu was giving them, nor how he felt. Ben and Ieyasu had been at each other for a long time, so they were used to bickering and the comments they made of one another. Hence, Ieyasu sighed and calmed down before stuffing his mouth with some grapes by a folk.

"You know…with these Danger Beasts you change into, is there nothing you can't do?" Ieyasu asked.

Unknown to him, though, he was on to something. The question had Tatsumi and Sayo's best attention as they turned to Ben, who simply chewed up on another piece of meat. It was only after that, that he realized all eyes were on him.

"Uh…well there isn't I guess." Ben said, a bit nervous.

"Is that so?" Tatsumi asked. Then a wide excited smile formed on his face. "So what's your best hero? Is it Humungousaur? Rath? Ripjaws? XLR8?"

"It can't be that, Tatsumi." Sayo said with a composed look. "Don't get me wrong, those creatures he turns into are great, but maybe he has something we haven't seen…" Then she turned to the Omnitrix user. "Right, Ben?"

"Uh, yeah." Ben answered. At the point, he was feeling a bit nervous on going further. But he couldn't back down. "You're likely never going to see me use this hero…I call him Alien X."

"Alien X?" Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu questioned simultaneously.

"What can he do?" Ieyasu asked.

"Everything." Ben answered simply. "He can do whatever you can think of."

"No way." Ieyasu said, refusing to believe. "There's no way something like that existed."

However, his thoughts there wasn't shared by his two other friends. In fact, both seemed either at awe or amazement as they stared at the Omnitrix user with possibilities already in their mind.

"So he can change the weather?" Sayo asked.

"Yup." Ben answered.

"Fly?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yup, that's too easy." Ben said back. He may have felt nervous before, but he was beginning to enjoy the guessing.

"What about removing the village's heavy taxes?" Ieyasu asked.

His question there got everyone to turn at him. But unlike Ben who was quiet, Tatsumi was quick to refute the question.

"Ieyasu, there's no way that –"

"Actually, I can." Ben said.

"What?!" The trio shouted in shock. By the looks of their faces, now staring at Ben, it was clear that they hadn't expected that.

However, Ben played it coolly with a smirk on his face. He loved seeing their expression, a bit too much if he were to think of it.

"You heard me I can." Ben said again.

"Then do it!" Ieyasu suddenly encouraged.

"What?"

"Turn into the hero!" Tatsumi added.

Both boys, at this point, were looking excitedly at the Omnitrix user as they continued staring at him. If what Ben said was true then they wouldn't have to go to the Capital to get the money or let their village suffer so much from the taxes. In fact, it sounded too good that Sayo felt the same way while staring at the teen hero. But something didn't seem right.

"I can't…at least not in this situation." Ben said. The grin he once held disappeared as it was replaced with a straight, serious face. "Alien X is a lot powerful than you think. I haven't even mastered his full power…Heck, I doubt I ever will. But if I were to do as you say, what good would that do? Sure, everyone would be happy. But that would leave an absence of something to learn, to develop and to improve. We won't get the good feeling of an accomplishment or the thought that we worked hard for something. Besides, the last time I used Alien X on an extended time, I ended up abusing his power on something that didn't call for it. Since then, I've kept away from using Alien X unless the situation is so dire and hopeless to the point that it threatens the extinction of human life…It's also not healthy to rely on one alien…from what I've been told."

With that said, Ben kept quiet as he looked at his friends to see their reaction. As expected, they seemed disappointed. Tatsumi and Sayo looked down at their plate, while Ieyasu just stared at the teen before a small formed on his face.

"Nice one, Ben, you really had us going." Ieyasu said.

"Huh?" Ben questioned, confused.

"What?" Both Tatsumi and Sayo stared at Ieyasu.

From the looks of it, the spiky haired teen didn't seem affected by the disappointment his friends once felt. In fact, he seemed a bit lightened up as he turned his attention to the others.

"Come on. Alien X? There's no way something that powerful exists." Ieyasu said further. "Ben would have to be a god."

"But Alien X is…oh forgot it!"

Ben folded his arms and sat back on his chair. Ieyasu's reaction there reminded him of a certain feline-like partner of his that he knew. So without saying anything, he watched as what happened next. Tatsumi seemed unease about Ieyasu's intuition though, as he stared doubtful at him.

"I don't know, Ieyasu…" He said with a doubtful voice. "Ben's helped us so far. I don't think he'll lie."

"Fine by you." Ieyasu stated without pursuing further. "That's good ol' Tatsumi. You can be so naïve sometimes."

"No, I'm not!" Tatsumi stated angrily.

"Yes, you are." Ieyasu replied with a grin. "Remember that time we…"

And so their discussion went into the background, at least to Sayo. Unlike the duo, she didn't hold any doubt or disbelief at Ben as she turned to him. Instead, she cracked a small smile at him and said. "It's okay, Ben. I believe you."

"Oh…" Ben replied, surprised. He sat back forward while hearing both Tatsumi and Ieyasu bickering as some relief came over him. Hence, he returned the smile back at her and said. "Thank you."

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **FLASHBACK END**

"Are you sure he was saying the truth?" Lubbock asked.

Tatsumi's narration of the past had come to an end. Now it was Night Raid's turn to react to it. The whole point of bringing up that part was due to the viable information that Tatsumi felt should be shared. But in doing so, there was doubt about it.

"I think he was lying." Mine said without hesitation. "There's no human with a Teigu that could be that powerful."

However, Tatsumi seemed to think otherwise. He showed this as he turned to Mine, who in turn just stared at him as he spoke. "When Leone, Bro, Akame, Ieyasu and I surrounded Ben, he mentioned about turning into Alien X. If that was a lie…why would he bring it up?"

"Hmm…" Bulat hummed. He seemed thoughtful about it. "You're right about that Tatsumi. I recall him saying about that when he transformed into that creature he called…Toepick, right?"

Tatsumi nodded. From there it was Leone who then spoke next. But the thought of Ben annoyed her as she crossed her arms under her busty chest.

"The lad got me twice…" She said. "But Tatsumi and Bulat are right. He mentioned a creature like that in the fight. But there's one thing I want to add…I think the lad can do some good, not as a part of Night Raid, but a possible ally. Maybe…just maybe we can get him to help us out. We need the extra manpower anyway."

"Wow, Leone." Lubbock said and grinned at Leone. "For someone who got her ass handed to him twice, you seem optimistic of having him as a possible ally."

"Shut it or you're going to lose a few teeth!" Leone scowled angrily at the other assassin. As a result, Lubbock was fearfully taken aback as she continued. "At least I put up enough of a fight! You were knocked out in a few minutes!"

"Ouch." Mine remarked with a grin.

Lubbock knew where he was done for, especially at that moment. He decided to say nothing about it though, as a feeling of embarrassment and shame washed over him before he backed away a bit from Leone. But before anything could be said, a fake cough was heard from Najenda, which then brought everyone's attention back at her.

"Now…if everyone is done talking, maybe you're ready to hear from me."

"Sorry, boss/Najenda-san." Both Leone and Lubbock apologized respectively.

Fortunately, the boss didn't seem to hold anything at them. Instead, she went right into her conclusion of the matter.

"I've thought about it. Maybe Leone is right about the young man." Najenda stated in an authoritative manner. She watched as everyone expressed mixed reaction before continuing. "From what everyone has reported and narrated, Ben Tennyson might be useful in our cause. He would prove useful when the revolution happens. But that isn't to say he isn't a threat to us too. He still holds secrets, but at the same time he has a pure heart that is hard to see in these hard times. That is why we won't relocate our base of operation. If what Sheele says is true, he won't be going to the Capital and report about us. But to be sure, I'll have Leone watch him as soon as possible."

"Me?!" Leone shouted, surprised. "Why me? Akame is good enough."

"Because I said so." Najenda determined. "Besides Akame, you're our best tracker to find him. You must watch where he goes before making the decision to meet with him. In the manner you do is up to you. What I need to know is what are his present intentions and his location. Have I made myself clear?"

"Uh…yes, boss." Leone answered in defeat.

"Good." Najenda said and grinned.

But the meeting wasn't over yet. Ieyasu had something to say, as he was the next to speak.

"He won't join us." He stated with a straight voice. "Besides, he has that girl that murdered…"

"Ieyasu…" Najenda calmly called his name. From there, her attitude became serious as she narrowed her eye at him. "Why did you join Night Raid?"

"Huh?"

Ieyasu was confused by the question. He knew Najenda knew why he joined their group of assassins. But by the look of her seriousness, there seemed to be something else to her question, hence she continued.

"If you joined Night Raid to have revenge, then you're not fit to be a part of us." Najenda stated without a hint of doubt. "Each of us here has lost something and felt betrayed in order to get to where we are today. In due time I hope both you and Tatsumi will understand that. But be warned, if you let revenge dictate your life, you'll end up dead."

Ieyasu became quiet and looked away. As for Tatsumi, he felt a bit mixed about Najenda's words. He knew in a way that she was right, but couldn't help but not lose sight of the one thing him and Ieyasu had set to do for Sayo's sake. However, Najenda didn't seem to notice or at least concerned about it. Instead, she just waved her metal hand at the group.

"This is meeting is over. You can leave now." She ordered.

And so, with nothing else to say, everyone went their various ways. There were those who dwelled on what had happened that night, as well as what the future meant, with the same going for Tatsumi and Ieyasu as they escorted one to the other person's room.

_(LINE BREAK)_

With time having gone far, Ben's narration of the past had come to an end. Currently, he was heading up the small hill, with Aria behind him as both walked up quietly. The teen had noticed the young woman's attitude had changed over the time he explained about the past, but thought best to deal with it tomorrow. He needed sleep, so he guessed the matter could wait.

However, his intuition was wrong. It was proven that way when Aria suddenly grabbed his left wrist to get his attention. But once that happened, she didn't look at the hero when he turned to her.

"Aria…can this wait? I really want to sleep." Ben said with a tired voice.

Aria said nothing back. Her face was still at the ground while she held Ben's wrist. But as he tried pulling from her hand, she tightened her grip, much to his surprise.

"Is everything okay?" Ben asked, concerned. He was still tired due to the night having gone too far by now. But as he continued to stare at the silent blond, his concern was proven right.

"No, everything's not okay!" Aria shouted. She still kept her head down though, as she tried suppressing her feelings. "Tell me, Ben…Be honest…Do you miss being friends with Tatsumi…Ieyasu and…her?"

Now Ben understood what was going on. He could see the guilt just coming from the blond despite not be able to see her face. It was saddening to him, but in a way understandable considering what had happened. Hence, he patted her on the head. "Aria, you have to –"

"No!" Aria yelled in protest. The feelings she felt was reaching its peak as each seconds passed. It led her to shake Ben's hand off her and taking a step back, just in time to look at him with teary eyes. "Don't lie to me! Just tell me the truth!"

"Hmm…" Ben sighed through his nostrils. He felt hesitant to speak the truth as he knew the outcome of it. But as Aria stared at him, he gave him with a sad look on his face. "I do…I miss the friendship. I miss bickering with Ieyasu, I miss the times Tatsumi and I would hunt down Danger Beasts and I missed…I missed seeing Sayo's smile every day."

"I…I knew…" Aria muttered. Her voice seemed to crack up as she continued to cry. The pain she felt in her chest was feeling too much as the thoughts of her past went through her head. "I'm…I'm a monster!" She cried out loud. "I remember it now! She was so nice and friendly! But what did I do!? All I thought was about how her hair was better than mine! I was jealous and I killed her!"

"Aria…" Ben muttered.

The teen at this point couldn't take the scene anymore. He knew Aria was feeling extreme guilt despite reforming from past that a few hours ago. Hence, he tried reaching his hand out to him. But as he did, the girl backed away and slapped it away.

"No! Please stay away!" She cried out.

Unfortunately, in her moment, the young woman failed to acknowledge her surroundings. She was still at the climbing side of the hill, when suddenly she lost her footing and began to fall back. But before she did entirely, Ben shot his hand forward and grabbed her hand with such firmness that he then pulled her to her chest and hugged her with his arms around her.

"Why…" Aria cried softly at Ben's chest. "Just let me die…Please."

"No." Ben refused. He tightened his firm on Aria and continued. "Letting you go won't change the past. I care very much for you to let you to not let you die."

"I…I see." Aria said softly. "Then if you do care…take me to the Capital."

"Huh?" Ben expressed, surprised. "Why?"

"Because it's for the best…" Aria answered. "I…I care about you too…But the pain…the pain in my chest won't leave…not while I'm around you. So please…if you really care about me, you'll let me go."

Ben became quiet. He felt hesitant about granting her request since part of it was due to guilt. But then again could be blame her; she sounded sincere about it. So as much as he hated the idea, he knew she was right.

"Fine…I'll take you." Ben said in agreement.

"Thank you…" Aria said back.

Ben didn't know what else to say to that. He loosened his firmness of Aria, before placing his arms on her shoulder as she stood fully back on her feet. Once that happened, he noticed she had stopped crying, before moving to a question he had in mind.

"So where exactly to the Capital should I take you?" He asked.

"To an acquaintance of my father…I'll be safe with him."

"Okay….Who is he?" Ben asked.

"He's name is…Ogre."

Ben felt a bad feeling once he heard the name. Maybe it was the fact that it sounded inhumane for a human being to have. But rather than focus on that, he faked a smile at Aria and said. "Fine, I'll take you to him."

"Th-Thank you."

At the last word Aria said, she unexpectedly fell on Ben. It surprised the hero, as it alarmed him to hold her carefully in his arms until he heard soft snoring from her.

' _Huh…She fell asleep?'_ Ben thought.

True to his thought, he was right about Aria's current state. She had a peacefully look on her face while the tears on her cheeks rubbed off on Ben's shirt. If it weren't for the fact that Ben too was tired, he might've found this cute as he carried the girl in his arms and walked up the hill, where he knew they would be safe.

_(LINE BREAK)_

While everyone slept in their beds, there were some that were still awake in the Capital. These people were mainly those walking late in the night or low-life people who wanted to spread the little terror as they could. So while it was quiet, there was something that soon interrupted the peace of an alley.

Screams and the sounds of blood splashing against concrete walls and falls could be heard as the painful cries of men dying went up in the air. The alley it came from had been known for a group of muscular thieves who would steal, rape and kill their victims whenever given a chance. But when they came across one particular person late at night, their time ran out.

One of the men, though, was able to run. He held his left arm which had blood pouring out at the place his hand was once at, with his left hand, with a look of horror on his face. He hadn't expected their supposed victim to be so deadly to kill his comrades and boss in such a bloody way.

"Th-That bitch's crazy!" The man cried out.

However, he never made it to the end of alley. Instead, he fell to the ground as he felt something wrap around his legs, before pulling him backwards until he was a few feet from the person that slaughtered his thieving friends. It was then at that moment that he turned, with fearful eyes as the figure stood before him with her right hand glowing a pink aura.

"Who are you calling crazy? You're the one who invited me." The girl said with a playful voice.

The man continued to shake in response to this. He could see the joyful look in her eyes, as well as the sadistic smile on her face, before seeing three pink energy ropes came out of the pink orb in her hand, heading straight for him.

"Now then…say hello to your buddies for me. It was fun."

And so with that came the death of the thief. He let out a loud cry of pain as his body was butchered severely till he lay in a pool of his own blood, dead. As for his assailant, she walked out of the alley, humming slowly to a catchy tone she had heard.

"Ben 10…he's a kid and he wants to have fun, but when you need a superhero he gets the job done…Ben 10, with a device that he wears on his arm, he can change his shape and save the world from harm…Hmph! Hmph! HA!"

Then she stepped out of the alley, revealing her entire appearance. She looked similar to Gwen Tennyson, but with a different color scheme that reflected her appearance. She had short black hair like Gwen, with a purple hairpin at the side, wore purple glasses, while wearing a black shirt with a purple kitty at the center and a purple skirt with small white lines. Along with that, she wore black long-knee songs and purple shoes that matched her outfit all together.

"Oh, cousin! You picked the right place to have so much fun!" The girl exclaimed with a joyful look on her face. Then she giggled maliciously. "Sunny is going to enjoy staying here." She said in third person.

And so with that said, the evil cousin of Ben Tennyson continued her walk down the streets. It was unknown for the time being of how she got to this universe, not that it mattered to her. Instead, what really mattered to her was all the 'fun' she could have in the world of monsters in human skin.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **Aaaaand done!**

 **Wow! That was a lot for me to write! I thought I should cut this chapter down to another one, but I thought that was unfair to you guys. But that isn't to say that all the scenes I had in mind was placed in this chapter. There was one scene where Ben or Tatsumi and Ieyasu was to flashback to a time Ben, Ieyasu, Tatsumi and Sayo went swimming doing their travel to the capital. This flashback was to explain the time Ben used Rath to scare Ieyasu. Also, in another scene, there was meant to be a scene that would explain why Ben was absent when those bandits caused Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo to split. In this scene, Ben would unintentionally confront Sunny, who would explain her intentions, as well as other things. But due to this chapter being too much, I had both scenes removed until I decide to bring them in another time.**

 **Also, yup, Sunny is in this fanfiction now! I didn't originally think of her until I thought of the fate of one character of Akame ga kill! I won't reveal the role that she'll play until the time comes, but I can tell you it'll be pretty interesting! As to those who don't know who Sunny is, she appeared in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and made a cameo in Ben 10: Omniverse. Her current look is based on the design on the latter series of the franchise.**

 **Sunny's character would be based off her personality from the series. But in addition to this, she'll have a killer character similar to that of that crazy pink haired girl from the anime "Future Diary", minus the love obsession over somebody, and Kurumi from Date A Live.**

 **So now we'll be heading back to the manga once again. But before I end this, here are three hints of the character I'm talking about.**

 **He's not an adult.**

 **He was killed off in the last episode.**

 **His very presence is the cause of the state the world of Akame ga kill found itself in.**

 **Good luck with guessing who it is. The next chapter will take us back to the manga, precisely at chapter 3 of it. Please review, favorite and follow. Your support is what keeps me going.**


	10. Tatsumi the cook, The Capital and Ogre?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter **of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you once again for support towards this fanfiction. Keep it up! Also, congratulations to all those who guessed the character I was talking about. While I'm not certain I would make him redeemable, I'll see how things go before I make that decision. Now some shout-outs to those who got it right.

Drew Luczynski

Owldusk

BrRosaball22

Guest

Thank you four for getting the answer right!

I've noticed some reviewers have been mentioning about harems. However, on the subject entirely, please read what I have to say at the end of the chapter.

To the reviewer, Cyberbeasttitan, thank you for giving this fanfic more of a read. I can understand how the first few chapters were skeptical. I promise you things will get more interesting as the story goes on.

Now with all that had to be said, here's another chapter.

 **Chapter 10: Tatsumi the cook, The Capital (again) and…Ogre the Demon?**

 **FLASHBACK!**

A few days before Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo and Ben were set to leave for the Capital, the four friends were in the kitchen cooking. Sayo stood next to Tatsumi, as he was peeling on a fruit, while Ieyasu was by the side of his best friend, steaming some food in a pot.

"If you want to have a high position in the military, we need to start by raising our own skills." Sayo said optimistically.

"Yeah." Ieyasu agreed with a wide grin. "By doing this, even if things get bad we'll be able to survive somehow."

"True that." Tatsumi smirked. But then a thought came to him, which made him to frown as he turned to Sayo. "By the way, how's Ben doing?"

Suddenly, a loud splat could be heard, followed by Ben falling to the ground behind Sayo with a splash of food on his food. The sight of him brought the three teens to look down on him, with Sayo letting out a disappointed sigh and Ieyasu eyeing her.

"And you have a crush on this guy, why?" He asked.

However, Sayo didn't take this so well despite a blush clearly on her cheeks. "Wh-What did you say!? Don't be an idiot!" She yelled.

"Sure, whatever." Ieyasu said with a roll of his eyes.

 **FLASHBACK END**

Back at the present, Tatsumi was reliving the memory of that moment in the past. It made him smile and feel good of himself, as it reminded him of the good times before all the terrible things that came to be.

' _Sayo…Ieyasu…Ben…'_ Tatsumi thought positively. _'I'm…happy that I learned to cook. But…'_

"MORE!" cried out the group of assassins behind him. They were seated around a rectangle table behind him, as they looked anxious at their cook who had served them a great meal. Of course, this comprised of Bulat, Mine, Lubbock and…Ieyasu?

Tatsumi was comically annoyed by this. _'Thanks to that, I'm treated as nothing more than a cook. And worse of all Ieyasu is a part of them. Asshole!'_

Unfortunately, nothing could be done about it. Tatsumi was the cook, with Akame by his side, as they were cooking in the kitchen as one would expect. Akame had her beautiful black hair tied in a ponytail, as she was a cook too and Tatsumi's instructor. However, that didn't mean Tatsumi was pleased with his current position.

"Damn it!" Tatsumi cursed angrily. Currently, he had a fruit in his hand, which he was peeling off with a knife, though in a frustrated manner. "I'm an assassin, yet all I do day after day is cook."

"It cannot be helped." Akame commented. She was standing next to Tatsumi, wearing an apron, as her attention was at him. "I am responsible for cooking the base's meals. And naturally that duty falls to you as well." This was then followed with her eating a ball sized ingredient instantly.

"Where exactly is the cooking?" Tatsumi asked. "All I see you doing is "sampling" the ingredients."

"That's not true." Akame lied. And in a way that proved it, she munched on the ingredient.

"You suck at lying, you know." Tatsumi commented.

Just then, something comically caused him to be stunned. It wasn't a knife or any dangerous weapon, but instead the voice of Mine.

"For a newcomer, a cook's apron is best. It suits you well." Mine remarked slyly.

And in doing so, Tatsumi felt his pride drop a bit. But now he also was attracted to turn to her direction. However, when he did, he noticed Bulat, Mine, Lubbock and…Ieyasu again, standing at the door.

"Huh…" Tatsumi blinked. Then he fixed his focus on all of them. "Are you all going somewhere?"

"Yep." Mine answered proudly.

"A request to kill someone in the Capital arrived." Bulat informed him.

"And I'm going with them." Ieyasu stated with a toothy grin.

' _What the hell?!'_ Tatsumi thought in annoyance. He glared sharply at his friend, mostly in jealousy, and pointed at him. "Him too? He should be cooking too!"

"I agree." Mine said, surprising both Tatsumi and Ieyaus. But before it was taken the wrong way, she turned at the spiky haired teen with a glare and turned back to her front with her arms wrapped across her chest. "But it can't be helped. Since Bulat is his instructor, he can say what training Ieyasu can do. Besides, since Sheele is temporarily out of action, we have no choice."

"Geez…so much love." Ieyasu commented, sarcastically.

Tatsumi, on the other hand, recalled something. It had to do with his meeting with Najenda earlier, which went along like this.

' _Speaking of…'_ Tatsumi thought.

 **FLASHBACK (AGAAAIN!)**

A few hours ago, Tatsumi and Ieyasu was standing before Najenda, who sat at her usual sit in the meeting room. The reason for their appearance was due to a lack of knowledge about Night Raid, which she was glad to provide.

"We're an organization that accepts requests from the public." Najenda informed them. "… to carry out assassinations in the Capital. We'll come up with something for you two to do though. Anyway expect to be called upon."

 **FLASHBACK END**

Back at the present, things were just as the flashback went off. Sheele was sitting on the dining table, when she turned to the assassins that'll be leaving with a small smile on her face.

"Please take care of yourselves. I'll be here." She said.

Mine turned and smiled at her best friend. "Sure thing, Sheele. Just know that you're a thousand times much better than the loser following us."

"Hey! I have ears!" Ieyasu yelled, offended.

However, Mine didn't seem to care about him. In fact, her attention went at Tatsumi, whom she then laughed at as she directed her finger at him. "Akame and the new guy are housemaids. Just stay here and chop cucumbers AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

' _Why does she feel the need to be so overbearing…?'_ Tatsumi thought with annoyance.

But unfortunately nothing could be done about her. The group of small assassins was done, before turning their backs at the others and walking out.

"Lateerrrr!" Mine waved back.

Ieyasu smiled at Tatsumi. "Goodluck, Tatsumi. We're counting on you."

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, a bit taken off guard. He hadn't expected a complimentary bye due to glaring so much at Mine. But as he saw his friend wave at him, he couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah. Back at you."

And so with came other matters. Akame showed this as she untied her hair, before leading the way to another exit. "Okay. Now, shall we go take some lives?"

Tatsumi sighed. He wasn't bothered by her statement, hence he looked at her. "You're talking about hunting dinner, aren't you?"

"Oh good, you understand." Akame replied.

"Huh…" Tatsumi commented. He didn't know how to reply to that. But as he looked over to Sheele, who just waved at him with a smile, he couldn't help but wonder about a certain absent assassin. _'That reminds me, I wonder how Leone is doing scouting Ben and Aria. I bet she's having lots of fun.'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

Leone sneezed with her hands at her mouth.

' _I'm hungry enough, so who the hell mentioned me?!'_ The female assassin thought with an irritated tone.

The day was still young in the Capital as people could be seen walking to their various places. Leone had been at her current work since dawn as she followed from a few meters away, glaring at Ben and Aria as they walked along the street not knowing the assassin was following them. Her attitude, however, at that time was nothing better.

' _I just had to wake up too early and follow them, didn't I?'_ Leone thought with an annoyed tone. _'Sure, finding them in the forest was easy, but who the hell turns into a fucking flying dinosaur and flies off?! Hasn't this lad heard of the ground? It's nice, easy to walk on and doesn't involve running after him for miles and miles with no end on an empty stomach. If I don't get a drink soon, I'll be pissed.'_

Just then, the girl noticed something. It wasn't alarming, but it was interesting as it made her to move behind a bunch of standing boxes by the side of a store, where she peeked from behind it just to see Ben and Aria come to a stop.

' _Huh…what could those two be up to?'_ Leone thought suspiciously.

Speaking of the duo, the both of them stopped due to constant whistling and the sound of something soft continuously being hit against the ground, heading straight for them. It wasn't long after for the source to reveal herself to be a young lady in her mid-twenties, with aurburn hair and amber eyes. She had her hair tied into a ponytail which almost reached the ground while she wore a military uniform which had upper-body armor and held a dog leash which was attached to a strange dog.

"My sense of justice is tingling!" The woman exclaimed.

Ben had a sense that she was talking about him and Aria. Why? It was because she was heading towards him with a straight focus on them. The reason they had stopped was because of her, though now that Ben could see her coming, he couldn't help but think about her.

' _Wow, for someone with a bright attitude, she looks pretty cute.'_ Ben said with a smile. Then another thought came that made him grimace as she came closer. _'But why do I get the same psych- crazy aura Aria had coming from her…I mean it's not like she's….Oh who the fuck am I kidding? This world is filled with all kind of crazy! I really can't drop my guard like I did on the first time I met Aria.'_

With that thought out, Ben felt a bit better when the woman came to a stop. He watched as she did a military salute, with her cheeks puffed up, and stood at an attention before introducing herself.

"Seryu Ubiquitous! A soldier for justice, reporting!"

' _Yup, something's definitely off about her._ ' Ben concluded _'No way someone in this world can be this cute and not be crazy killer.'_

Fortunately, none of his thoughts affected his physical expression. In fact, Seryu didn't seem to notice as she turned her attention to Aria, whom she smiled gleefully at her.

"I know you! You're Aria Goodricke of the House of Goodricke! You're actually alive!"

"Yes, indeed I am." Aria said with a nice tone. She had a complimentary smile on her face, which reminded Ben of the time he first met her, before she gestured to Ben with a grateful tone. "You can thank this young man here. He saved me from Night Raid before they could kill me, along with my family."

"Really?" Seryu asked, surprised. This was instantly followed with her attention at Ben, whom she saluted positively at. "Good work, citizen! The arms of justice were with you, I'm sure!"

"Uh, yeah. Thank you." Ben replied, though in discomfort. He didn't like being around the Imperial soldier any better than he would've in his fight with Night Raid. However, for the sake of Aria, he continued. "Anyway…I'm just here to drop off Aria with this guy called Ogre. She said she'll be better safe with him, so she should be fine."

"You can bet she'll be fine." Seryu stated. Her arm was back by her side as she continued. "Ogre is a great man. You should meet him. I'm sure he would love to hear how you escaped the evil clutches of Night Raid."

"Um…no thanks." Ben replied, hesitantly. "I got something else to do, so I'll just say my –"

"No, I insist!" Seryu pressured on.

Suddenly, before the teen hero knew it, the young woman took hold of him. She took a hold of him on his Omnitrix wrist, though the alien device just inches from her hand, before turning her attention to Aria, who she gave an assured smile to.

"Please come with me Aria-sama. I'll take you to Ogre." She said.

"Um…of course." Aria nodded.

"Wait, don't I have a say in this?!" Ben protested.

Unfortunately for him, his words were ignored. Seryu's grip on him was firm, before she walked off with Aria by her side, wondering if Ben would be okay.

Back at Leone, the female assassin walked out of her hiding place and stood sideways at her leaving targets. She could've followed them, but she deemed it best to stop for now as a serious look came on her face.

' _I didn't expect this…but it would look like my second assignment would be tied up with the lad and his friend.'_ Leone thought in her mind.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The walk to the Garrison Headquarters usually shouldn't have taken too long. But due to a 'wardrobe malfunction' aka a part of Ben's shirt being noticeable ripped at the bottom due to a certain female assassin last night, the trio had to stop at a clothes store for Ben to wear a replacement. Apparently, according to Seryu, Ogre didn't take those in strange clothing or tattered clothes seriously, hence the need for Ben to change outfit.

Fortunately, the teen's wardrobe didn't change much. He still retained his brown pants and black and white shoes, though the same couldn't be said about his infamous black and green striped shirt with the number ten on it. Hence, the top of his shirt was replaced with white shirt underneath a green coat which had two pockets at the sides and the number ten on top of it **(A/N: What are the odds of that being there?).**

Now the trio could head over to Ogre's office. But while that was happening, Ben couldn't help but look at Seryu as he walked behind her. She no longer held his wrist; hence he was free to run away if he wanted to. But he chose not to do it. One reason was due to Aria, while the other was because of the young woman in particular.

' _I don't know…Was I really wrong about her?'_ Ben thought to himself in observance. _'Sure she might be hiding some dark side of her, but she's been nice enough to change my style of clothes and buy me a satchel to keep my old one. Huh…maybe I was wrong. But then again, if I turn out to be right, maybe…just maybe I could turn her around to the good side. I got Aria to see the better of life, so she shouldn't be too hard, right?'_

However, that question would remain unanswered until the time came. Ben, Seryu and Aria just continued their walk until they stood at the front door of the Garrison Headquarters, which was a two-storey building. It had two officers standing guard in front, to which they saluted the young woman before letting her walk opening the door and letting her walk inside with Ben and Aria behind.

"Everyone, I have returned!" Seryu announced.

And with that, she got everyone's attention. The place was a spacious room that had other Imperial soldiers dressed in military uniform like Seryu standing about. Ben noticed that they were about three of them, one of which was a girl, before the door at the right side of the room open, revealing a huge figure walking out with a wide grin on his face.

"Ah, Seryu! I see you brought guests!" exclaimed the man. His attention had been entirely at Seryu at that moment, until he looked at Aria and Ben. Once that happened, his remaining her eye, his right eye, widened in shock as it lady on Aria. "Oh my…Aria Goodricke, you're alive."

"Indeed I am, Sir Ogre." Aria said pleasantly. She took a few steps forward and did a lady's courtesy, before standing up straight facing him.

Ogre was a man many people in the Capital knew. He was a large muscular man with black hair that appeared to be graying near his temples. He also had an unusual hairstyle with four ponytails or braids at the back of his head wrapped in white cloth as he also had a large star-shaped scar over his missing left eye while his other eye was red in color with black sclera. And for some reason, his teeth were quite sharp.

"HAHA!" The large muscular man laughed. He seemed happy to see Aria as she stood before him. In fact, this expression was shown as her wrapped his arm around Aria's shoulder before letting out a proud face. "Your father and I were good friends, so when I heard he and your mother were killed at your home I was deeply saddened by this. But lo and behold, to think you would actually outlive the clutches of Night Raid is nothing short of a miracle. Hell, you're the only one I've ever heard survive an encounter with them."

"Thank you, Sir Ogre." Aria said, though a bit with discomfort. The Imperial officer was a bit too close for comfort. Fortunately, that didn't stop her from turning her head to Ben. "However, the one you should give thanks to is that young man over there."

"Hmm, is that so?" Ogre asked. He seemed intrigued, especially when he looked at Ben. It led him to let go of Aria before he walked over to the teen hero, whom he then towered over. "You did well bringing the young lady back. I had a missing person award on her just to find her. Would you like to collect it?"

"No, I'm good." Ben answered in modesty. "Saving Aria from Night Raid is all the reward I need."

"Oh no, I insist." Ogre insisted with a toothy grin.

Just then, before Ben knew it, the large man patted him on the back and gestured him to a door right in front. "You did well bringing Miss. Aria to us. This is the least I could do. The reward is just in that room."

"Uh…" Ben uttered, feeling hesitantly. He didn't like the way things were going, especially as it was coming from Ogre. But as he felt the man keep pushing him, he had no other choice. "Um…Okay. I guess a reward isn't bad."

"You have no idea." Ogre grinned.

If Ben was to think of an escape, it was already too late. He and Ogre entered the room, with the latter standing at the middle of it as his subordinates, Seryu and Aria included, walked into the room. The last person to enter closed the door behind it, sealing what was to happen to take place.

' _Something isn't right here.'_ Aria thought, suspiciously.

And indeed, the blonde was right. Ogre seemed to have become quiet as he stood at the middle of the room with his hands behind his back. The room was quiet spacious, as it had a wide mat on the ground, and some fighting equipments such dummies and weapons hanging at the walls, to which the teen hero took notice of as he slowly reached brought his hand to the Omnitrix while keeping his hands down.

"So…Ogre, was it?" Ben asked, calmly. "Where's the reward? You brought me all this way for –"

"To see if you're what you are!" Ogre yelled loudly.

Just then, the large muscular man went into action. He swiftly drew out his sword and swung it at Ben, who immediately moved his upper body backwards to avoid it. But just as that came, the very experienced imperial officer came at him with an upward sword slash, to which Ben moved to the right to avoid. Then, as the man sent his sword in a piercing attack, the teen hero immediately jumped backwards and did a backflip that resulted in him making a gap between him and the imperial officer.

"Good reflexes, lad." Ogre complimented with his toothy grin. "Now then, fight me!"

"I'm not going to!" Ben retorted in disagreement. "I just came here to drop off Aria, not to play games with you."

"Games?" Ogre questioned sarcastically, his grin widening. "Young man, in a fight against me, it's either do it or die. So if you won't fight me then prepare to meet your maker!"

With that said, Ogre came charging at Ben. This time, however, he made a front leap at Ben, which then resulted to the young hero acting fast. He noticed the sword coming straight for her, as his mind quickly worked the possibility to escape it, before making a jump over the large man. Once that happened, Ogre sword came down on where the hero once stood, shattering it instantly.

However, the fight wasn't over yet. Ogre still had the teen hero in mind as he made a swift turn and closed the distance between him and the teen in seconds. But as he swung his sword to cut across Ben's abdomen, the teen ducked in time, missing the attack, before coming right back up at his feet with an uppercut to the muscular man's chin. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to affect Ogre, as he then grabbed Ben by the neck and turned to his back, where he then stoned the teen against the hard floor, cracking it.

"Ben!" Aria cried out in shock and pain. She wanted so much to run in an intervention, but soon found that impossible. One of Ogre's subordinates that stood behind her gripped her by the shoulders, preventing her from running to Ben. "Let me go! I have to stop this!" She protested.

Unfortunately, her protests fell into defeat ears. Aria could only watch as Ben let out a strained groan as he clutched his chest and struggled to get on his arms and knees. He hadn't expected his counterattack earlier to go so wrong, especially with the impact to the ground hurting so badly. But now that he asserted the situation, he reached his hand to the Omnitrix and touched the faceplate. At the same time, Ogre stood before him with his usual toothy grin and his sword held high.

"This is where you die, lad." Ogre said with no remorse.

"No!" Aria cried out. "Ben, get out of there!"

However, the situation seemed to be too late. Ogre had the upper hand, before sending his sword down on the Omnitrix user. But just as that happened, a flash of light engulfed the boy, causing him to shield his eye even though his sword struck down on the hero.

" **Buzzshock!"** cried out an unfamiliar voice.

"Huh?" Ogre questioned, confused. He unshielded his eye and looked down at the place Ben had been, only to then be surprise when he saw a strange humanoid battery standing in his place, facing him. But just as that expression left, it was replaced with a grin as he came into a conclusion. "So you're a Teigu user. I never would've expected."

Buzzshock didn't seem to care about his comment, though. He was another of Ben's aliens that was electrical based, though in the form of a humanoid battery. He had two bolts on each arm, with a green lightning bolt on his front as the top of his head is shaped like a battery. Along with this, the top was colored green and positive (+) symbol and negative (-) symbol on his back, as his chin seems to stick out rather than being a part of a long, one-piece body. Lastly, his voice sounded extremely high-pitched, similar to when a person has inhaled helium, with the Omnitrix symbol on the top of his head.

" **Expected? Ha! You have no idea!"** Buzzshock said with a hyper attitude.

However, his retort angered Ogre, who immediately raised his sword out of the floor and tried to swing at him. But before he could, Buzzshock ran off as static electricityand reappeared right behind him.

"Hey! Over here! You can't catch me!" Buzzshock stated, teasingly.

"Don't get cocky, kid!" Ogre yelled in anger.

For obvious reasons, the large muscular man couldn't stand Buzzshock's attitude. He turned to his back and swung his sword down on the alien hero, only for him to fly off away as static electricity. Then, before the Imperial officer knew it, Buzzshock came ramming into him from the right, before flying off again and ramming into him from the front. The alien hero continued at this, as he let out a high-pitched laughter, which just seemed to anger Ogre even more as he tried swinging his sword at the alien hero, only for him to avoid it and still ram into him.

"That's enough! Face me like a man!" Ogre stated with an angry voice.

Just then, Buzzshock responded to him by landing on the top of the muscular man's back. He didn't seem worried or at the very least moved by Ogre's words, as he had a crazy grin on his face.

" **Sorry, not a man right now!** " Buzzshock said with a remark. " **But hey, I'm not the idiot swinging a metal sword at a guy who can do this**."

Just then, before Ogre knew what he meant, it was too late. Buzzshock charged up his entire body with electricity, before he let it flow right out of his body, shocking Ogre. He did let it go at him in the most minimal way, as he allowed the man to scream from the pain, before then jumping him and landing on the ground. At the same time, Ogre fell on his hands and knees and panted heavily.

"So had enough?" Buzzshock asked. This was then followed with the Omnitrix timing out and changing him back to Ben.

"Hmph!" Ogre smirked. The shock he had received was Buzzshock was still there, though at a minimal, so rather than succumb to it, he slowly removed his upper armor until he stood before everyone, shirtless and staring at Ben with a grin. "Good job, lad. I guess you're not a poser."

"Huh?" Ben questioned, confused. "Wait, you thought I was a fake?"

"That's correct." Ogre said with a nod. He didn't seem bothered by Ben's question at all, especially as he snapped his fingers to one of his male subordinates, who then brought a white martial arts coat, to which he then wore over his upper body and tied around his waist. "You see, lad, in this Capital, there are frauds of all sizes. I've had to…deal with them when they came with false information or claims that were lies. But you proved me wrong today. Now I can see how you survived Night Raid's evil acts."

"Uh…Thanks?" Ben said, unsure.

But for some reason, the hero's reaction made Ogre laugh a bit.

"Now then…" Ogre said and turned his back at Ben. "Let's get that reward…for real this time."

Ben only nodded in response. He didn't know if he should trust the guy, mainly due to the trick he pulled just a few minutes ago. Hence, it didn't surprise him that he had his hand over the Omnitrix, just in case he was falling into another trap. But as he was about to proceed to the door, he was taken aback when he felt someone hug by the side. Fortunately, it took him a few seconds to look at who it was and smile, with his hand patting the head. The person holding him was none other than Aria, who seemed relieved and happy.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Aria said with a soft voice.

"Of course I'm okay. Have we met?" Ben joked with a cocky grin.

Unknown to the teen hero though, Ogre snarled a bit at the sight. He could choose to stop the 'love-making', but chose not to as he turned forward, while his subordinates stood next to him as Ben and Aria walked out the door, separate from one another.

"Tell me, lad, are you and lady Aria in any way in love?" Ogre asked, straightforwardly.

However, his question caught the pair by surprise as both felt flustered.

"What, no!" Ben retorted.

"We're just friends!" Aria added.

"Hmph, I see." Ogre said with a mellow voice. But unknown to the hero, he took into the consideration he might be lying before turning at the duo with a normal grin. "I'm glad to hear that…It would be a shame if something happened to a fine young man like you. Tell me…have you considered joining the garrison? You'll be able to work under me and be paid triple the amount of the reward. After all…it's not easy finding another Teigu user these days in the garrison."

"Another Teigu user?" Ben questioned, surprised. "Who's that?"

"That'll be me!" Seryu exclaimed with her hand up. Once that happened, she pulled her strange looking dog from earlier and pressed him against her chest. "This is Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires, but I call him Koro. He's an organic Teigu that helps me enforce justice."

' _Why does that make me feel worried?'_ Ben thought in question. He had a comedic scared look on his face, when the thought of Ogre's offer came to mind. So not wanting to stall, he turned back at Ogre with a modest look and waved off the offer. "Thanks for your offer, but I'm gonna have to decline. I work independent."

"Aw poop." Seryu frowned with her cheeks puffed up.

However, Ben seemed relieved despite an anime sweat drop at the side of his head. _'Yup…I made the right decision.'_ He thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A few minutes passed in the Garrison Headquarters, before Ben, Aria and two of Ogre's subordinates stepped out. The purpose of the latter two were to escort Aria as she saw Ben off despite not having any means to talk. Fortunately, Ben and Aria didn't seem to mind as they faced each other one more with mixed feelings.

"So…I guess this is goodbye." Ben said, though a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah…It is." Aria replied with a frown. "So…what are you going to do now that…now that we won't be around each other?"

"Honestly…I'm not too sure." Ben said back, although a part of it was a lie. Ogre may seem like a good person, but he was still a servant of the empire, hence he had to be careful talking about things around his subordinates. "I guess I'll just buy a small room to stay for the night and figure things out from there on."

"I see." Aria muttered. For some season, she felt like something in her chest was tightening. Was it an attachment to the Omnitrix user? She didn't know for sure. She just had her right hand at her chest, closed to almost a fist, before sending a small smile at her hero." Well…I wish you the best of luck. Take good care of yourself, Ben Tennyson."

Ben smiled back. "You too…Aria Goodricke."

And so, with a last glance at each other, Ben parted ways from Aria. It was a heartfelt moment, as both waved each other until Aria turned back to the Garrison Headquarters' door with Ogre's subordinates escorting her inside.

"Well…That happened." Ben said with a sigh. Saying goodbye to the only girl he had gotten to know in this crazy world was a bit hard, but he was going to come to terms with it. He had the reward, which was a big sack of gold, in his jacket's inner coat, as he had his right hand holding the shoulder strap of his satchel. So far, his mind seemed to wonder as he took into what Aria asked in just a few minutes before he left. It made him wonder. "As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't think this whole thing through. Now that Aria's gone, I'm alone by myself with…well…no ally. And just to add to that, I have no idea how to deal with the enemy...Sure, I've faced intergalactic empires and kingdoms before, but usually I had Rook and the Plumbers to deal with the boring aftermath…I guess I'll just have to think through my actions for once…it was because of my careless thinking that I got into this world and it's mess."

"Oh, Ben!" sang a familiar voice.

' _Oh shit! She actually followed me!'_ Ben thought with a frozen expression. He knew who that voice could be, even before slowly turning back to lay eyes on the young woman. _'Dammit, she's actually running towards me.'_

True to his eyes, Seryu was running straight for him with an excited look on her face. She had her Teigu, Coro, still held in a leash in her hand, as the organic Teigu was sent up into the air and down on the ground continuously as his owner speed up to the Omnitrix user. Her attitude at that moment may seem innocent, but Ben got a shill down his spine and took a step back.

"He-Hey! You're coming too fast!" Ben shouted.

"I know!" Seryu shouted back.

At this point, the thought of running away came across Ben's mind. But he opposed it. He didn't like doing that though, but he stayed still nonetheless and tried to look composed as the young woman came to a stop before him.

"I finally caught up with you." Seryu said enthusiastically.

"Yeah…that-that's great." Ben replied back. "Is there a reason you ran after me? Is Aria doing okay?"

"Oh, she's fine." Seryu stated with a preppy smile. "Ogre-sama will guarantee is. But why I'm here is because of you."

"Me?"

"Yup!" Seryu nodded chirpily. "I want you…to join us! Pretty please! It would be so cool to have another I! We could be a duo-fighting team for justice!"

"Um…no thanks." Ben said back, feeling uneasy. He wasn't getting that killer vibe he got from her earlier, but a creepy one as he took a few steps back. "I-I'm good. Ogre already offered and –"

"I insist!" Seryu stated. Her eyes sparkled dazzlingly as her smile increased. This was followed with her fists at her chest as she leaned closer to Ben.

Unfortunately, her efforts to recruit Ben weren't working. In fact, if anything, it was doing the exact opposite as he took another step back while he failed to seem composed.

"I…uh…I like the…enthusiasm, but I gotta…RUN!"

With that said, the teen hero did as he said. He ran off with a comedic dust cloud behind him as he wanted nothing more than to be away from Seryu. Unfortunately, the young woman didn't seem to know when no means no, due to the fact that she was running after her, waving her hand at it frantically.

"Wait up! We're not done talking!" Seryu shouted.

"Yes, we are! Leave me alone!" Ben shouted back.

"But I'll be your best friend!" She insisted.

"I already have two! I don't need more!" He rejected.

However, the Imperial soldier didn't seem to deter. She chased after her with a gleeful smile on her face, while Ben ran with a stressed one. To make things worse, this attracted a lot of people's attention, as they watched both of them running off with comedic dust clouds behind them.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Aw poop…looks like we lost him…"

Seryu felt sad upon saying that. She had followed Ben through the small section of the Capital until now she was in an alley, looking down at the ground. Her Teigu, Koro, was back on its feet, having gone through constant hits to the ground due to its owner running about in such a fast pace. But as it stood, it took a sniff in the alley and picked up something that caused it to stare at a wall at its right and begin barking at it.

"Huh, what is it, Koro?" Seryu asked, confused.

Koro kept on barking at the wall. It was weird, considering the Teigu was good at sniffing out odd things when it had to or when Seryu ordered it. But as she looked at the wall, she just smiled softly before carrying the Teigu into her hands and at her chest, halting his barking.

"It's okay, Koro. We'll meet him again. I just know it!"

And with that said, the Imperial officer ran out of the alley. But if she had stayed, she may have gotten to hear an odd whining sound, as Ben became visible as Big Chill before changing back to normal. He saw at this moment that the young woman was gone and so let out a big sigh of relief before sending his back on the wall and sliding downwards till he sat on the ground.

"Sure glad that's over…" He muttered.

Unknown to him, however, his presence was being watched from the edge of a roof at the alley. She had been watching Ben since he left the Garrison, until that moment she sat at the edge with a sly smile.

"Well that was fun to watch. Who would've expected the lad could run so fast." Leone said with mild interest. She then gave the teen one last glance, before standing on the rooftop with another thought in mind. "I better get going. That request from that woman earlier isn't going to be resolved by itself."

And so with said, the female assassin ran off.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Time went onwards as the day began to turn into night. Night Raid's headquarters still stood fortified as ever as some of its members were inside, particularly at the dining table, where food was placed on the table in big bowls. The bowls contained all sizes of fishes as Najenda was seated at the left side of the table while Akame and Leone were seated opposite of her. As for Tatsumi, he sat at the end of the table, seemingly down at his 'accomplishment' earlier in the day.

"In the end, Tatsumi caught only two…" Akame said.

Basically, Tatsumi didn't impress his trainer, Akame. The two of them had gone into the forest to kill Danger Beast type fishes, when Tatsumi jumped in excitedly to take them out. Unfortunately, while Akame killed a large majority, to which they were eating, Tatsumi caught only two.

Najenda didn't seem bothered by this though. She even took a piece of food with her chopsticks and ate it. "For his first time, he did well." She complimented.

However, Leone seemed to differ as she teased the young man.

"But didn't you say "bring it on" as you were undressing?" She asked rhetorically.

"Not good enough." Akame commented.

' _Shit…'_ Tatsumi cursed lowly. He had his eyes on Akame as he continued. _'She doesn't think much of me at all…and I can never tell what's she's thinking either.'_

Speaking of said female assassin, her mind was on a fish head she had in her hands. And for some reason, she imagined it saying. _'Stop staring and eat me already!'_

' _I'm still too weak.'_ Tatsumi thought depressingly.

Just then, Najenda placed her chopsticks on the table as she turned her attention to the blonde female assassin. She had something in mind, as it was important, to which she brought up as she called the assassin. "Leone…tell me how your scouting with Ben and the girl went."

"Oh that." Leone replied freely.

Now this got Tatsumi's attention, as well as Akame, especially as the fish head was 'mysteriously' gone. He knew their talk wasn't none of his business, but couldn't help but listen on it as the report from Leone continued.

"The lad's something." Leone stated with an observant look. "He turned into some flying dinosaur thing and flew off to the side, outside the Capital, before changing back and taking Aria into the place. At first I was wondering what he could be up to, so I followed him. That was when I saw him meet with an Imperial officer of the Garrison. She took him and the girl to their headquarters and stayed there for fifteen minutes before he came out with the officer chasing him. Apparently, she was to recruit him."

"Hmph, did she succeed?" Najenda asked.

"Nope." Leone answered and laughed a bit. "The lad's got guts, but he looked terrified of the woman. I guess something happened in that place."

"I see…" Najenda murmured. She paused for a few seconds after to think on the information as she looked down on her empty bowl. Something about it didn't fit about the information; hence she looked back at Leone. "What about the girl?" She asked.

"That…" Leone paused and leaned forward. Her attitude from then on became serious. "That's something that is tied with our recent request."

"I see. Then tell me." Najenda ordered.

"Our targets are Ogre of the Capital Guards and an oil merchant named Gamal." Leone told her straightly. "The former of them has Aria. Apparently, it would appear Ben passed her off to the guy. I don't know why, but it seems they've parted ways. As for the request, what the client told me was…'

 **FLASHBACK!**

Somewhere at the graveyard, Leone was standing before a woman in a black robe in her Teigu form. There was no sign of anyone, as both were facing each other, while the woman narrated with a sad and forsaken voice.

"Ogre has been accepting bribes from Gamal." The woman reported.

' _No signs of anyone hiding in the area.'_ Leone thought observantly. It made her feel safety was assured since that was important. Hence, she motioned her raised finger at the woman. "Continue."

And indeed the woman continued. She did, however, seemed to be deeply depressed as she clutched her hand at her chest like a huge burden was there.

"Every time Gamal commits a crime, Ogre will frame someone to take the fall for him." The woman reported further. "My fiancé was framed for one of his crimes and was sentenced to death. He heard them talking to each other while in his cell."

Finally, she couldn't bear the pain. The burden she felt at her chest just seemed to grow as it led her to bend forward at Leone, gripping her chest with one hand and gripping her leg with the other. "Please, somehow, help me clear this regret from my heart…." She wept.

"Understood." Leone said in acknowledgement. "We'll send them both screaming to hell."

"Thank you so much, Miss. I can't thank you enough!"

 **FLASHBACK END**

And with that came the end of that part of the report. Leone dropped a big sag of gold coins on the table and continued. "This is the payment for the job."

Tatsumi was surprised. He stood up and looked down at the money, in awe at amount of what could be inside.

"That person saved up this much money?" He asked in assumption.

However, that thought would soon tear down in an instant. The reason was due to Leone, who seemed to be holding her emotions as she looked down at the money glaringly.

"I caught the scent of a venereal disease from her." She said subtly. "That means she have been selling her body to earn all of that."

Tatsumi was stunned upon hearing that. This was not comedic stunned; it was one that seemed to strike him right in the heart.

"That's…" Tatsumi could only utter to say.

Just then, Najenda took over as she went direct. "Did you check out her story?" She asked.

"They're guilty." Leone concluded. "Once I was done with my scout on the lad, I observed them from the attic of the merchant's shop."

"Okay."

With that said, Najenda removed her cigarette and blew out some smoke. She now understood the situation without a doubt as she crossed her right leg over her left leg with her decision already made.

"Night Raid will accept this request." She determined. "We will deliver divine punishment upon the heads of these heinous monsters and send them to the hereafter."

"Taking out Gamal will be simple…" Leone said, informing everyone present. "But Ogre will be a formidable foe. He is called "The Demon" because his skill with the sword makes him an object of terror to the criminals of the Capital. Usually, he spends his time out on patrols with his subordinates and other than that, he hangs out at the Garrison Headquarters. Gamal comes to his private room to give him the bribes. Due to his station, on his days off he leaves the Headquarters and spends the day drinking on the main street, close to the palace."

Tatsumi became thoughtful of this. He brought his chin upon to his chin as he recalled what Leone just said, before speaking. "It seems the only time to attack would be on his day off." He said thoughtfully.

"…However, the security around the palace will be tough." Najenda said, adding to Tatsumi. "For Akame who is on the Capital's most wanted list, this will be a dangerous mission."

"Shall we wait for the group to come back?" Akame asked.

However, Tatsumi seemed to be on something else.

"But we don't know when they'll finish their job, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Akame answered.

That's when it hit him. An adrenaline rush which he had felt in battle came over him before he could realize what it was. It led him to immediately slam his hand on the table without further thoughts before a determined voice came out.

"If that's the case, just send us. We can take care of it." Tatsumi spoke up.

However, his action at that moment, as well as his words, brought silence in the dining table. Najenda, Leone and Akame had their eyes on him as they looked at the determined young man, before cracking a small grin on their faces, minus Akame.

"Ohhh…?" Najenda said, intrigued. "Are you saying you can kill Ogre yourself?"

"Huh?" Tatsumi uttered. And that's when his eyes widened in realization. But it became worse when Leone added her own words.

"Not that I can't handle it…" Leone grinned teasingly. "But it almost sounded like you want to take him on yourself, huh? Well that rich girl is with him, and Ben's gone, so I can see why."

But Akame thought otherwise. She had a straight look at Tatsumi, to whom she knew about his skill as she had less faith in him. Hence, she said. "As you are now, you stand no chance…"

Tatsumi shot a glare at her. He wasn't surprised that Akame had less faith in him. But that didn't matter to him. A scowl soon enough formed on his face, as he had both of his hands on the table with a fed up attitude.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Tatsumi stated boldly. "While we stand here debating, there may be other innocent people getting framed for crimes they didn't commit. If that's the case, I'll handle him myself!" Then something got into him. It was a memory, a thought of Sayo which made him mellow a bit. "The feeling of your most cherished person being cruelly taken away…I don't want anyone to have to experience that loss."

Akame was silent. She understood what he meant, but said nothing about it as she kept her eyes on him. Najenda, on the other hand, grinned as a cigarette was in her mouth again.

"Understood." She said in agreement. "I can appreciate your decision. Go kill the demon."

Just then, Tatsumi let out a yelp as he almost fell forward. A pat on the back had cased that to happen, as it turned out to be Leone, who seemed overly excited for him.

"Well said, Tatsumi." She said with a positive smile.

"Leone, Akame…" Najenda called the two asssassins. "I leave the oil merchant to you."

"Got it, boss." Leone answered, petting Tatsumi on the head.

Tatsumi didn't like it, though. In fact, he had his shoulders slung with an annoyed look on his face. But all that changed when he turned to Akame with an excited look on his face.

"How about that, Akame?!" Tatsumi beamed brightly. "When it's time, I can step up!"

Akame said nothing in response. At first she was quiet, as her head was away from Tatsumi until she turned to him with a straightforward look.

"Where does this self confidence come from?" She asked rhetorically. "As you are now, so full of yourself, you'll just end up dead."

Tatsumi was stunned and taken aback by those words. He hadn't expected the female assassin to act that way despite knowing her for only a few days. But as much as he would like to retort, he said nothing and made a decision in his mind.

' _Damn it…'_ He thought secluded. _I'm definitely going to succeed and make you see me in a new light.'_

 __(LINE BREAK)__

Night time came, meaning it was the time to move. Leone and Tatsumi stood at the end of a bridge, which was beautifully made as it had to big statues of two bird type Danger Beasts on them. The end of bridge had a large structure, as it covered another side of the Capital where their target is. But just for Tatsumi to know, Leone pointed at the end.

"If you go straight that way, it'll lead you straight to Main Street." Leone instructed him.

"Got it!" Tatsumi said determined.

However, their conversation wasn't over. In fact, something came to Leone's mind as she turned Tatsumi. "Hey, I got to ask, what if that girl is there?"

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused.

"Aria." The blond assassin mentioned. "I can't guarantee she'll be with him. But if she is, will you kill her?"

"Of course." Tatsumi nodded affirmatively. "If Ben isn't there then it'll be a piece of cake. I'm not doing it just for revenge, but because it's the right thing to do."

Leone grinned in response. "Good to hear." She said. Then she frowned. "By the way…you wanna hear a story about Akame?"

Tatsumi was hesitant. He hadn't expected to be asked such a question, especially at a time like now. But now that he saw the chance, he nodded his head and listened to Leone.

"When Akame was young, her and her sister were both brought somewhere in the empire." Leone explained. She didn't seem chirpy like she had been though, nor was any trace of her positive vibe was in her as she continued. "Well you know…poor parents selling their kids are a pretty common story. Anyways, she and another girl in the same situation entered assassination training together. There, she learned how to kill people…She survived in that hellish situation and she worked under the orders of the empire. She was the perfect assassin. But each time she carried out her duty, she could feel more of the darkness within the empire. The boss, who was her target at the time, succeeded in persuading her to defect from the Empire and join the Revolutionary Army that cared only about the people."

That's when it then became sadder.

"By that time, it seems most of the comrades she had grown up and trained with were all dead…"

Tatsumi was silent. What Leone told him was admittedly sad to hear. But the reason for telling him this now wasn't known nor explained by Leone. Instead, the female assassin asked him a question.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" She had her attention at Tatsumi.

Speaking of him, he sighed and placed his arms on his waist sides. "I do." He answered. "As an amateur, I should shut up and listen to the professional killer, right?"

Leone smiled warmly. It wasn't the response she was expecting, but it was good enough.

"Well…you'll understand if you're successful."

And with said, Leone was done. Tatsumi seemed pumped up by her words as he began walking away. But before leaving entirely, he turned his head at her and exclaimed. "Yeah! I'm definitely gonna do this!"

"Good hunting!" Leone said and gave a thumbs up.

_(LINE BREAKS)_

Leone and Akame stood side by side as they now looked down on the dead body of Gamal the oil merchant. With him gone, many innocent lives had been saved, but it also brought something for Leone to wonder out loud.

"I wonder how Tatsumi is doing with the tougher opponent…"

Indeed, the female assassin was right to take that into consideration. But before any further thought could be brought about it, she remembered someone and began walking away.

"Hey, I'm heading off to grab some drinks. Don't wait up." Leone said with a wave of her hand.

Akame nodded in response. She had no reason to question her comrade, especially now that they were done with the mission. Hence, she left the place by walking the other way, leaving the dead body of Gamal to lie in place in a pool of his own blood.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Aw men…this can't get any more frustrating." Ben sighed deeply. A frown was casted on his face as he looked down at the plate of food between his hands on the table. "Well it's nice getting some actual good food…No offense to me, but I really suck at cooking. But since the day, I haven't been able to figure out how I'm going to save this world."

' _Okay…Maybe I should gather what I know so far.'_ Ben thought observantly. He was seated under an umbrella table outside a café as he continued. _'The Prime Minister is the cause of all the day things, meaning that he's the big bad. Then there's the Teigu users, some of whom are aligned with the empire like that Seryu lady, with the deadliest being General Esdeath. But with Esdeath fighting some war at the north that leaves General Budo…The only problem with that is the fact that I don't know what Teigu he uses, so I can't confront him…that is if I get the chance to. The palace security is pretty tight, and with the fact that I don't have the Plumbers to back me up, I'll be dead before I can even reach the Emperor and the Prime Minister.'_

Ben felt frustrated at that last part. It had been ten minutes since he'd gotten his food and he had already taken a few bites of it, when he decided to think through his day. But now that he came to terms with it, he sighed in defeat and brought the Omnitrix to his face.

"As much as being a full-time hero is fun…I have to call in Plumbers HQ and ask for Rook and backup. They'll likely have a better thought about this once I explain the situation." He said to himself.

However, he didn't he didn't get to do that. The reason became obvious when someone with a feminine outline stood before him with her hands at her hips.

"Plumbers HQ? Well doesn't that sound interesting?"

' _Shit! I know that voice!'_ Ben thought, comically froze. His first thoughts then were to reach his hand to the Omnitrix and slam on it. But there was a problem. Before he could, the person jammed his head against her busty chest, distracting him instantly.

"Yup, it is I, Leone, that lady you caused to scream till she fainted."

Everyone seated outside the café turned to Ben and Leone in response. Most of them were minding their business, when they heard something that sounded sexual. But now that Ben realized his position, with his still at Leone's chest, he panicked.

"Wai-Wait! It's not what you think!" Ben cried out frantically. "Don't look at me! She's a part of –"

"Oh you!" Leone sang with a wide grin. Then she slapped her mouth at his mouth with her other hand and looked back at everyone. "Sorry about that everyone. My friend here took too many drinks."

' _What?! I didn't –'_

And that's when it dawned on him. The teen looked down at his table just to find a couple of altholic bottles at the side of his plate, as well as a cup of half filled alcohol with them.

' _She thought it all!'_ Ben thought in panic.

_(LINE BREAK)_

With all that had happened, Ben really thought he was done for. Fortunately, Leone didn't seem intended to kill him. But that wasn't to say the teen hero was happy to see her gulping down an entire glass of booze, before letting out a loud satisfied sigh and placed the cup down on the table with a wide grin.

"Ah! Booze are the best!" Leone cried out in satisfaction.

"Great…" Ben murmured, glaring at the young woman. "Can you leave now?"

"Nope!" Leone happily told him. "It would be rude of me if I didn't finish what you paid for."

"Wait, what?" Ben's eyes widened. Then he opened his coat, only to find his sack of gold gone. _'What?! How the hell did she do that?!"_ He thought.

Leone grinned teasingly. She knew what he was looking for; hence she dropped the sack of gold on the table and teased him. "I got to say, Tatsumi may have been oblivious when I first met him, but you're absentminded when it comes to your surroundings."

Ben sent an annoyed glare at her. He didn't like how she played it cool at his own humiliation. So without saying a word, he took the sack of gold and put it back in his coat. But that wasn't to say Leone was done speaking.

"And then there's the part you talk to yourself." She added.

"Huh?" Ben questioned, confused. But then he realized what she meant and panicked a bit. "Wait, you heard what I said."

"Yup!" Leone nodded. Now she had the teen hero where she wanted. But in order for no one to hear, she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "My Teigu, The King of Beasts: Lionel, gives me the power of a beast, so I was able to hear from the distance before changing back and coming here."

Ben felt taken aback upon hearing this. He had kept his voice down when he was talking that time, but with this woman having heard everything, he was worried, especially with what she said next.

"So, Ben, I got to ask…" Leone said, furthering her intention. '…Who are these Plumbers? It's kind of suspicious for a young man with no home to be talking about a toilet problem."

"Lik-Like you would know." Ben said, trying to keep calm. "You don't even know me."

"You're right, I don't." Leone admitted. "So you understand why I had to follow you."

"Wait, you followed me?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Yes, I did." Leone answered. "The boss's curious about you just like everyone else. You show up one day at Tatsumi's homeland with no true back story and upon that you have no allegiance to the empire or to us, so you're a liability. But good news for you, the boss hasn't declared you an enemy. She does see you as a threat, though."

"Geez…I feel so much love." Ben said sarcastically. Being around this young woman was getting too much into his comfort zone. But as he thought about it, he relaxed when a thought came to him. "Hey…Leone, was it? Why are you here? I'm pretty sure you don't want to be friends with a guy who –"

"That fight was a draw and you cheated!" Leone yelled, interjecting. It surprised the teen hero though, as he was taken aback. Fortunately, Leone composed herself as she leaned back on her seat, while still looking at him. "And what if I am? We can always have that rematch when the time comes…"

"I didn't agree to a rematch." Ben said otherwise.

"Besides…" Leone said, ignoring his reply. "I've been curious about you and the girl. I know where she is now, but there's been something that has been bothering me."

"Oh…and what's that?" Ben asked.

"Aria Goodricke." Leone told him straightforwardly. "She was a monster who gave no regards to anyone that was socially lower than her family. But on that night, you did something to her. When I've transformed into Lionel, I can sense…the dark aura from them. But on that night, I noticed hers was becoming less and less until that moment you said those things to her."

"Wait…you heard all that?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Yes." Leone confirmed with a nod. "That…thing you turned into may have knocked out Bulat, Tatsumi and Ieyasu, but it only paralyzed me. I was able to hear those things you said, and upon that Sheele seems to trust you after hearing what you told her."

"Oh…I see." Ben said. He felt composed and a bit relieved at what he was told. "So that woman…Sheele is okay."

"That's right." Leone confirmed. "So you really do care for others, just like Tatsumi said."

"Yeah…" Ben replied and frowned. He felt uneasy upon hearing his former friend's name, considering what had happened.

However, none of that had any emotional effect on the female assassin. She let him quiet down a bit before a thought came to mind that made her a bit serious. Hence, she looked straight at the hero and said. "By the way, your friend is trouble."

"What?" Ben questioned, surprised. His eyes widened upon hearing this bit of info as it alerted his sense. "What do you mean? Are you guys about to –"

"Yes, but we're our main target is Ogre." Leone informed him. "You realize that man is a criminal no matter the uniform he wears, right? He takes bribes, kills innocent people and…rapes young girls."

' _Oh no!'_

That's when it just hit Ben as his eyes widened.

"Wa-Wait…what you're saying is that…"

"Your friend, Aria…" Leone added. "is about to experience something horrible. "

And with that, Ben was completely horrified.

_(LINE BREAK)_

On Main Street, the lifestyle of the area was at its normalcy. People attended to what they had to do, while others got what they needed. But even while it was all safe, Tatsumi couldn't help but feel something was wrong as he followed Ogre and Aria to an alley, away from the public's eyes.

' _Something isn't right…'_ Tatsumi thought skeptically. _'I was planning to lure Ogre to the alley by pretending to that I wanted to be recruited into the army, but…he's already doing it. He even has that girl with him. But why is that? It doesn't make any sense…'_

Fortunately, things seemed to well for the young man. He followed both Ogre and Aria and hid behind a trashcan, where he then crouched behind to hide as he peeked at the side to see what might unfold.

"Sir Ogre, are you sure this is the right way?" Aria asked.

Sometime ago, Ogre had offered to take Aria with him to do some shopping on his day off. However, now that she took notice of her surroundings, she couldn't help but feel worried. Hence she added. "This place doesn't look safe."

But none of that mattered to Ogre. In fact, he licked his lips maliciously before coming to a stop, which caught Aria by surprise as she did the same and turned to him.

"Is something wrong, Sir Ogre?" Aria asked, concerned.

"Yes…" Ogre answered. Then he let a malicious grin spread across his face. "Everything is just perfect."

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused.

However, the blonde didn't get answer reply after that. Instead, she yelped in pain as Ogre grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground, into the air, grinning at her as she held his hands to escape. But unfortunately the latter wasn't successful; it only eager the muscular man more.

"After all this time, I finally have you in my clutches." Ogre stated with pride. "That boy was wise to give you to me; however, I can't shake the feeling that you two may have been too close."

"No…" Aria uttered. She tried continuously to break free of Ogre's hand, but failed. "Pl-Please…why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Ogre chuckled in response. "You're so naïve, just like the last time I saw you. Your father and I were acquaintance, but he stopped coming to see me when he realized my attraction to you. But now that he's dead and your entire family's fortune is in my possession, you will do nothing but please me for the rest of your life."

Aria was deeply scared of this, even more than before. Ogre was a man whom she believed would be a better suit to help her till she could recover her family's fortune and use it for better use. But now, all that she thought of in the past was gone. She was lonely, scared and losing hope fast. But if being held by the neck, off the ground, was not enough, Ogre laughter evilly as he slowly reached his hand for her chest.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi gnashed his teeth in frustration as he turned away. The mission was supposed to be simple: Just like Ogre the demon and the girl and report back to the hideout. However, what was happening meters from him was more than he would've expected. Aria was a monster to him, but what she was about to receive was rape, which Tatsumi despised greatly no matter who it was from. But he refused to act on it. He didn't want to save the girl.

' _I can't like this get the better of me.'_ Tatsumi thought, his eyes glaring at the ground _'I have to kill Ogre and Aria. It's the only way. But the girl…would killing her at this moment not actually count as saving her? I don't want to relieve her of something bad…'_

At this point, the whole thing was too conflicting for Tatsumi to take in. In one hand, he could use Ogre's lust for Aria as a distraction and kill him and the girl, but at the other hand he would actually be saving the blonde psychopath even though it was just a moment away before he kills her. He hated the thought of that, as he felt bitter about it. But yet he listened as Ogre continued rambling, his hand just inches from Aria's chest.

"Now then…scream as much as you can. If you're thinking about that young man earlier, try not to, I'll have that piece of shit arrested for fraud, confiscate that Teigu of his and kill him for being a secret agent of Night Raid."

And that was when something in Tatsumi snapped. He put aside any feeling he felt as he rushed at Ogre with a loud angry cry. It surprised the man, as well as Tatsumi, as both turned to his direction, only for Ogre to receive something he wouldn't have expected. Tatsumi drew out his sword, which was hidden under his jacket, slashed across Ogre with such speed that he came at a stop at his other side.

"What the…" Ogre stammered, his eyes widened in shock.

"You!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. The emotions he felt there and then had gotten the best of him. Hence, with an obvious expression on his face, he turned to Ogre. "Don't you dare talk shit about Ben, you hear me?!" He yelled aggressively.

Ogre couldn't say anything back. The slash across his middle body had done damage as it kept him somewhat paralyzed. But as blood spat out, the muscular man lost his grip on Aria's neck and fell to the ground without uttering around. His victim, on the other hand, fell on the ground on her butt with a loud cry, as she felt the impact. But as she had a few seconds to recover, the brown haired teen glared at her and walked towards her until he stood directly before her with an intimidating glare. It didn't escape the blonde girl's notice, as she shrieked and crawled back in frightened as the situation dawned on her. However, Tatsumi seemed to think otherwise.

"I can't believe I saved you again." Tatsumi said with a scowl on his face. "You tortured my best friends and took one of them away from me, so don't think I killed him for your sake. I will never forgive you for what you did. But I can't kill you now. It would look like I saved you from something you deserve a thousand times. So the next time we meet, just know that I –"

"Tatsumi, look out!" Aria shouted.

As much as Tatsumi's threat was going, the blonde couldn't resist warning him. Ogre had suddenly risen from the ground with a scowl on his face, before swinging his sword at Tatsumi. But fortunately he didn't succeed. Tatsumi was able to react upon Aria's warning and brought his sword at the muscular man's sword in defense. However, the older man's strength surpassed his and sent him flying back till he skidded his feet to a stop.

' _What the hell? Did she just save me?'_ Tatsumi thought, his eyes widened. _'I dropped my guard down at that moment. If it weren't for her warning I would –"_

"You'll die here, kid!" Ogre growled angrily. He stood back to his feet, his wounds not bothering him as he looked furious at the young man. "Did you think that I, Ogre the demon, would really be killed by the likes of a snot nosed little shit like you?!"

Tatsumi felt a bit tensed upon hearing this. He clearly hadn't expected Ogre to be standing, much less with so much energy as he began to look more like a beast than man.

"The weak don't matter, only the strong matter in this city!" Ogre yelled continuously. Then his voice increased. "I pass judgment on people! Do you think you can judge me!?"

Tatsumi gulped his spit down. It wasn't out of fear or any emotion related to that. No, it was out of reflex as he became a bit more composed of the situation. Hence, with his sword tightened by his hand, he leapt up into the air, did a spin and came down at Ogre with his weapon ready to strike.

"Don't just say whatever you want…!" Tatsumi yelled angrily.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **CLIFFHANGEEEERRRRR!**

 **I know, I'm a demon! HAHAHA! (Not Ogre the demon, but you get what I mean).**

 **So what do you think? I tried to match this chapter with the humor and seriousness from Akame ga kill so it can give the same vibe as reading the manga or the anime. I also had two original thoughts of this chapter. One was to end the chapter by the part where Leone warns Ben about Ogre and the other was to give Ogre a bit more sexual action (not enough to make this fanfic rated M though) on Aria like ripping her clothes off, leaving her in her underwear. However, I decided against both because I wanted to give you guys a bit more for the first reason and because, for the second reason, I didn't want to make this chapter longer and disgust some readers who may have a problem with that.**

 **Now about harems, I was surprised some of you brought that up. I actually thought I made my stance on it. But then again, I can't blame anyone since I wasn't certain about romantic interests until a few chapters ago. So to make it clear, there would NOT be a harem unless you count the love triangle I mentioned in the previous chapter as one. This love triangle would be AriaXBenXLeone, meaning both girls will have romantic interests for Ben and the teen having feelings for them until he has to choose one (although how that'll be is up to me). I will have other female characters have a crush or an extended liking to Ben, but it'll be one-sided or just result to a feeling of appreciation. I apologize if you wanted to see Ben become interested in more girls, but I don't want to give Ben that kind of luxury (or whatever you may call it). As for if Esdeath would have such feelings for Ben, I have to say no. She will have a fascinated feeling for Ben, but not something that'll extend than that unless I change my mind (which I seem to be doing sometimes).**

 **So with said, thank you everyone for reading this chapter! It was great writing this for you because I know you'll enjoy it. Please keep it up!**


	11. Assistance, Barriers and A promise?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter **of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you once again for your awesome support to this fanfic. With each review, favorite and follow I see, it makes me want to type faster so keep it up!

Now before getting to the chapter, there's something I need to bring up. I noticed and was told in a PM by a reader than I made some grammatical errors. I'm sorry that you guys had to go through all that. To be honest, most of the chapters I write in this fanfiction are completed at nighttime from where I'm from, but while I do make minimal grammatical errors, the last chapter seemed to have more than I would've thought. So, again, I apologize for the error. I'm glad it didn't bother you guys from enjoying the chapter.

On another subject, one of the grammatical errors I made had it seem like I was into a harem idea. I've corrected this mistake, but just for those who read the chapter before I corrected it, please read the end of the chapter for that and more information.

Now with that out of the way, here's a disclaimer

 **I DO NOT OWN BEN 10 AND AKAME GA KILL. BOTH PROPERTIES BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND BLAH BLAH BLAH. I'M GOING TO FORGET WRITING THIS AGAIN ANYWAY. LOL**

 **BTW PLEASE READ THE END OF THE CHAPTER! IT'S IMPORTANT!**

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 11: Assistance, Barriers and…A promise?**

It was still nighttime as not much time had passed. The Capital still seemed lively while for some it was just another pain for them. But only one of that applied to a certain brown haired hero as he was running through the streets with a mixed look of anger and regret.

" _Fuck! What the hell was I thinking?!"_ Ben thought angrily to himself. _"I knew something was off about that guy, but I didn't think it through! Now Aria is in trouble and I have to –"_

But he didn't get to finish that. The teen was about to run pass an alley, when suddenly an arm reached out and grabbed him into it. Hence, before he knew it, he was thrown to the ground on his butt with Leone standing right before him with her arms at her hips in a pose.

"Hey, what's the big idea –" Ben tried to finish.

However, the teen hero was once again cut off. This time though, Leone covered his mouth with her hand and pulled him off to the ground. Before the teen then knew it, she knocked him against the alley's wall and plated a full kiss at his lips, surprising him.

But there was more to it. Leone was kissing him as indicated, but her eyes were at the entrance of the alley suspiciously. So while Ben was in a moment of shock, she saw two Imperial guards come to a stop and look at the alley where they were. They then seemed to whisper something between each other, before then walking away like the whole thing was nothing.

' _They're gone.'_ Leone thought.

So with that, the blonde busty woman pulled her lips back. She then watched as Ben began to pant, while crossing her arms under her busty chest, as he was clearly trying to recover from what just happened. But as funny as it looked, Leone was straight forward as she kept her eyes on him.

"That was reckless of you, lad." The female assassin somewhat lectured him. "Do you want to be a suspicious?"

"Huh…What?" Ben panted, confused. Then he looked at the young woman before him. "What…What are you talking about?" She asked.

"You didn't see them, did you?" Leone asked with an affirmative face. She also felt tempted to sigh at the teen's obliviousness, but chose not to. Instead, she pointed at the entrance of the alley and said. "You were being followed the moment you ran off from the café. The Capital tends to keep watch of those who are seemingly suspicious, so keep that in mind unless you don't want to be a suspect and dragged to jail."

"Oh…" Ben muttered. Now it made sense to the teen hero. But it also made him feel a bit more embarrassed. "So the kiss…?"

"It was to cover for you." Leone concluded his words. Then she sighed. "Geez, lad, try to keep up. I know this is the second time you've been in the Capital, but you can't think so slowly."

Ben kept quiet as he let those words sink in. As much as he hated to admit it, Leone actually saved him from more trouble than he would've imagined. However, while he was embarrassed by it, his mind instantly went on Aria at moment. Hence, the blush on his cheeks, as well as the embarrass feeling he felt, went away as it was replaced with a serious look. He said nothing though, as he walked over to the entrance of the alley without telling Leone. But when he came to a stop, he turned back at her and said. "Thanks for your help, but I still have to go." He said with a serious tone. "…However, I won't let you stop me. I have to save Aria."

Leone smirked a bit. She wasn't intimidated by the teen's threat in the slightest. It was true he was powerful, but not something that would make her fear him that much. Therefore, she walked over to him with a calm look and wrapped her arm around his head before pressing his face against her busty chest, much to his shock. The latter didn't seem to bother the blonde assassin though, as she had a strong grip on his when he tried to struggle out.

"Being all serious like that is so good, but it can only get you to a few places…" Leone said with a fun tone. "But as much as you're a threat, I can't help but want to help you."

"Huh?" Ben questioned, his voice muffled by Leone's chest.

Good thing Leone then did the right thing. She released her grip on the teen, before then walking away while he tried to catch his breath. Her behavior of grabbing the teen's face towards her chest was something Ben wasn't used to even though it happened only twice. Fortunately, he was able to catch his breath and turn his attention at Leone.

Speaking of the blonde assassin, she seemed to be one step ahead of him. She was looking his way when he turned to him as she held the ladder of a Fire Escape and patted her hand on it.

"Come on! Let's go save that girl of yours!" Leone shouted.

"Uh...Okay." Ben replied with an uncertain tone. Leone was strange, but she was proving to be very useful.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Both Leone and Ben made it to the top of the fire escape, before leaping to the rooftop of a building. They hadn't said anything to each other since then as none of them had bothered to say anything to each other. But as they jumped from one rooftop to another, Leone began to notice Ben's pace increasing as he maintained a serious look on his face without wavering to exhaustion.

' _Wow, so he can keep up.'_ Leone thought with a surprise tone. Truth be told, she wasn't certain the teen would've been able to caught up, but now that she saw him doing it she smirked and looked forward. _'I'm impressed. I guess he isn't someone to rely too much of his Teigu.'_

Just then, a thought came to the female assassin's mind that made her turn to him again.

"So how are you going to settle it?" Leone asked.

"Huh?" Ben questioned and turned to her.

"Ogre." Leone answered. "He isn't one to fall easily. He's called Ogre the demon for a reason if you haven't heard."

Ben said nothing back in response. He let his mind dwell on that question as he continued running right next to the young woman until he pushed the sleeve of his coat back and began selecting through the aliens on the Omnitrix.

"Don't worry about me. I've been in tougher situations." The teen informed her. Then he found the right alien. "It's hero time!" He cried out.

Leone then watched what unfolded. She saw as the teen hero slammed on the Omnitrix core before then being engulfed in a flash of light while still maintaining his running. The only difference however was the fact that his body shifted to something of four legs as his voice changed entirely to that of a beast. Hence, when the light died down, Leone was able to see what Ben became.

The teen hero was no longer a human as he maintained no resemblance to one. He was in the form of what appeared to be a large orange dog as he wore a green color around his neck, with the Omnitrix symbol on the middle. However, that wasn't the bizarre thing about the alien. No, it was the fact that he had no eyes, ears, nose or tail despite still able to jump on to another rooftop with her. But to those who knew Ben, his present form was **Wildmutt.**

" **RAARRRR!"** Wildmutt cried out loud.

As the present alien, Ben was something to behold. The form gave him enhanced strength, durability and a few more, including speed, as he continued running. In fact, he was so fast that he immediately left Leone behind, much to her annoyance.

"Hey! Hold up!" Leone cried out. However, Wildmutt didn't seem to listen as he continued running. His current form clearly had more speed that she couldn't keep up with him despite the mere minutes that passed. Fortunately, she had a trick of her own as she reached for her Teigu, which was a belt. "Hey! You're not the only one who can do that! **Lionel!** "

Leone activated her Teigu as she shouted its name. From then on, the woman experienced her own transformation as she altered some parts of her body to that a humanoid feline. She still maintained her normal looks though, but with the exception of now having feline ears, tail and large paws as her hair was grown out longer than it already was.

So with that, the transformation was complete. Leone was able to use her amplified strength to increase her speed before finally seeing Wildmutt in sight as she continued to run after him. The teen hero may have gotten a head start, but Leone wasn't going to let him outmatch her that easily.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **(A/N: For those who've watched Pandora Heart, please play "Everytime you kissed me." if you want).**

The battle between Tatsumi and Ogre raged on as the teen came down from the air on the 'demon' with his sword. He had tried to use his strength to deal a swift blow on the enemy, but when Ogre reacted by deflecting his attack with his own sword, he was back on the ground on the defense. This meant that he held the side of his sword at Ogre with both of his hands holding it up as Ogre pressed down on it with his sword, using his brute strength to try and overwhelm him.

"I see…" Ogre said suddenly. He had his eyes down on Tatsumi as he realized the situation. "You belong to that Night Raid group, don't you?"

Tatsumi was surprised to hear this, but didn't show it. He had to keep himself up from falling as he glared at Ogre with gritted teeth. The same, however, couldn't be said for Ogre who then grinned madly as he continued. "Who hired you to kill me? Was it possibly the bitch fiance of the guy who was executed the other day?"

Tatsumi didn't answer. He still kept his composure as he held his sword in place. But that didn't matter much to Ogre. He just continued ranting.

"I'm right aren't I?' The 'demon' asked rhetorically. This realization then made him to snarl. "I knew it would have been best to kill her as well…No, it's still note late to kill her."

" **RAAARRRR!"**

The roar of an unknown beast was heard as it got both fighters attention. However, Tatsumi was the one able to react to it when he saw what it was from his position. Hence, while Ogre's pressure on his was slightly lose, he jumped back and watched as Wildmutt came down and kicked the guy right at the face. The kick was so strong that there was no way Ogre could've reacted as he was sent flying across the alley, hitting one of its walls.

' _Ben…'_ Tatsumi thought.

True to his eyes, the creature was indeed the alien hero. He watched as the hourglass symbol on his collar began to beep rapidly before he was engulfed in a flash of light that changed him back to Ben. But before anything could be said, the teen hero ran over to Aria.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. Are you okay?" Ben asked apologetically.

"I…Yes, I'm fine." Aria answered, though hesitantly.

Unknown to them though, that was going to change. Ogre may have been knocked away, but his presence was still there when he got back on his feet with his sword in hand. It angered him when he saw Ben holding Aria's hand as realization came to him on what just happened. Hence, without a single hesitation, the 'demon' charged right at Ben while his back was turned back at him as he determined to kill him.

"Get your hands off her!" Ogre yelled furiously.

The thirst for blood was high in the 'demon' as he closed the gap between him and the hero. Ben had angered him to be this way; hence he wanted to kill him. But as he closed the gap between him and the hero, Tatsumi suddenly came to a stop front of him and blocked the swing of his sword with his own, catching the attention of a surprised Ben and Aria.

However, Ogre wasn't pleased with this. He felt that Tatsumi was a nuisance since his real target was the teen hero. Hence, he kicked Tatsumi right in the stomach with enough force that the teen was sent flying sideways to the ground.

"Tatsumi!" Ben cried out in shock.

Clear looks of worry and concern was on Ben's face as he saw the aftermath of his friend. Unfortunately, this also left him open to Ogre's next move. The evil man now had his eyes set on Ben as he raised his sword up with the close satisfaction to slash down on the teen hero. However, before that happened, Aria pushed Ben out of the way and held the muscular man by the waist.

"Leave him alone!" Aria cried out.

"Stupid bitch!" Ogre yelled in anger.

Aria's attempt was an annoyance to the muscular man. But it wasn't good enough. It just held the man aback a bit before he then saw Ben back on his feet with his hand on the Omnitrix.

"Like hell I'll let you change!" Ogre yelled in pure rage.

That was when Ben received his own blunt of Ogre's fury. He was backhanded against the face by the muscular man's fist as the force of it then sent him flying off his feet and against a brick wall. It surprised Aria, as well as Tatsumi who was back on his feet as he was able to witness the moment.

When Tatsumi got knocked away, he was prepared for it. However, Ben hadn't been ready. So when the hurt got hurt, it wasn't shocking to see the impact affect the hero badly, despite it being alarming. Apparently, the force of Ogre's fist caused Ben to hit the wall so hard that cracks formed as it hurt him badly. But just to add how worse it, the impact knocked the air right out of his lungs as small spat of blood came out of his mouth before his entire body fell to the ground.

"Oh no! Ben!" Aria cried out in horror.

Seeing Ben knocked away in such an alarming way was one of the worse things the blonde had ever seen. It made her to immediately let go of Ogre and run over to the teen hero to him, only to then fail when Ogre reached out and grabbed her by the back of her cloth and lifted her up in the air despite her screams.

"Do you even realize your situation!? You're mine to please!" Ogre stated with clear pride. "I'm the king of this kingdom, so anything I say goes! Only the strong survives and claims over the weak! If you think what I did to your pathetic lover is bad just wait! I'll kill him and that Night Raid shit right before your eyes!"

Tatsumi was furious to hear this. He didn't care if Aria was at risk; he was more into the pride that the man was boasting. So it was surprising to him that he shot a glare at the 'demon' as he got into a sprinting stance, ready to get back to the fight. However, his body relaxed when he heard a groan, followed by the sight of Ben slowly getting up.

" _He's okay?"_ Tatsumi thought, a bit surprised.

Fortunately, the teen wasn't the only one to feel this way. A smile of relief formed on Aria's face as she saw Ben rising back on his feet, while she also noticed something. She noticed his head was down though as it seemed he was struggling against the pain that he was obviously feeling. However, Ogre wasn't pleased with this as a snarl formed on his face.

"I'll kill you!" Ogre cried out.

To see Ben standing felt insulting to the 'demon'. In fact, it was so infuriating that Ogre couldn't contain himself. Hence, he threw Aria to the side like a ragdoll, causing her to hit the ground her butt with a cry, before charging at the hero with his sword. But when his sword came down, Ben suddenly jumped to the side and did a cartwheel which resulted in him standing a few feet away from Ogre.

Now if the moment before was tense, this moment certainly worse. Ogre was back to facing Ben as the teen was somewhat the same, though with his head still down. Tatsumi had to admit that what Ben did there was impressive, but at the same time couldn't help but feel something was off about Ben. Therefore, he tightened his grip around his sword and took a step forward with a serious look on his face.

" _I should step in."_ Tatsumi thought observantly.

With that, the teen had made up his mind. But something then caught his attention. It wasn't Ogre or Aria, but Ben's voice which surprised him.

"Tatsumi…" The brown haired hero called out. His voice sounded scarily subtle as he was able to catch the other teen's attention. He didn't bother to look at him though. Instead, he continued with that tone. "Please…Stay out of this…"

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused.

But that was when everyone saw something scary. The fun-loving hero Tatsumi and Aria had gotten to know raised his head at their direction, exposing how he felt. He wasn't smiling nor was his scowling; He just had a plain serious look that held eyes that didn't move, not even a single inch.

The same couldn't be said about Ogre, though. The power-hungry 'demon' didn't even seem to acknowledge it as he came from Ben with a swing of his sword.

"Don't shit with me, boy!" Ogre cried out in anger.

Ben said nothing to him back. He just stood perfectly still with his hands separate from each other as the 'demon' thirst to have his blood over his sword. Hence, it didn't surprise the teen when Ogre closed the gap between him and the boy and swung his sword down on him.

"DIIIIIIEEEEE!" Ogre shouted with rage.

However, the thing he wished for didn't happen. He had Ben in a tough situation, but not in a one he hadn't been into multiple times. The teen hero showed this then when he duck down to avoid the swing of Ogre's fist, before then slamming his hand on a now exposed Omnitrix core which engulfed in a flash of green light.

But that wasn't just all that happened. Ben's transformation may have startled Ogre a bit, but it was the sudden kick from him to the 'demon's' stomach that changed the tide of the fight. It was strong enough to not just cause the 'demon' to cry out in pain but send him crashing at the brick wall, therefore making his own cracks on it.

As for Tatsumi and Aria, both of them were surprised. Ben was no longer human, but an alien entirely different from the ones they have seen. He resembled that of a humanoid combination of a hawk and a rooster as he had a sharp yellow beak and was covered in brown feathers. He also had claws on his toes and talons on his hands, as two larger talons were protruding one side of his arm while he also had a white-brown Mohawk and belly.

However, the two of them weren't the only ones impressed. A smirk formed on Leone's face as she looked down from the edge of the rooftop as she continued to watch what would unfold. She had seen Ben use Wildmutt to knock Ogre away, but never really thought of intervening on the fight since it was supposed to be Tatsumi's mission to kill Ogre. However, she couldn't help but feel entertained by watching everything happen.

Back at Ben, the alien the teen was standing as was **Kickin' Hawk.** He stood about eight feet, as a scowl was on his face while he felt a lot of mixed emotion going on in his mind. The entire experience wasn't too far from what he has experienced in his times as a hero. However, that wasn't to say he was okay with it. In fact, it only felt worse when he saw Ogre standing back up.

"Back when I started out as a superhero at the age of 10, things always seemed to go my way…" Kickin' Hawk muttered. Then he became visibly angry."But now I'm not going to hold back. Sayo died because I didn't take things seriously! Tatsumi and Ieyasu hate me because I didn't take them seriously! And now because I didn't take you seriously, Aria got scared and hurt! So if you think you're man enough, you living piece of shit, come at me with everything you got!"

Ogre was furious upon hearing this. One moment he was fighting the Night Raid assassin and the next he was being talked down by a scrawny kid. He hated it so much that just the thought of it made him let out a monstrous-like roar as he charged at him with his sword at hand.

Unknown to him though, Kickin Hawk was ready. He watched Ogre swing his sword for his left side before suddenly grabbing it with a swift move of his hand. Before the 'demon' then knew it, Kickin Hawk kicked him right at the stomach with such force that he not only removed the sword right out of his hand but sent him skidding back.

"You piece of shit!" Ogre roared. A scary snarl was on his face as it exposed his sharp demon-like teeth. "Don't fuck with me! I'm above you!"

Kickin Hawk said nothing in response. Instead, he watched as Ogre came charging at him without his sword. It would've been fun to mock about, but the teen hero was far beyond the fun side of him. Hence, the snarl on his face seemed ever-present when the 'demon' came for him.

So with that, the fight went on. Ogre swung a punch at Kickin Hawk, who then avoided it by moving his body to the left. He then watched as the 'demon' tried to hit him with another punch before moving to his right to avoid it and bending a bit backwards to avoid another punch. But as he maintained that position, Kickin Hawk suddenly latched his hawk-like talon legs at Ogre's arm before using it as leverage him up and kick the man at the face with his other leg.

"AAHHH" Ogre cried out.

Kickin Hawk's attack was surprising, as well as effective. His talons dug right into the 'demon's' skin as it left various cuts on his face for blood to come out. He had avoided his eyes though, as he released his grip on Ogre and landed back on the ground. This time Ogre was even more enraged.

" **I'LL MURDER YOU!"** Ogre cried out in pure emotion.

As of now, the 'demon' didn't feel like holding back. He threw a punch at Kickin Hawk with all his force that it was so obvious to the alien hero that this fight would be over soon. Hence, as the punch came, Kickin Hawk fell backwards to the ground by himself and brought his own legs to his chest and then shot them straight up. He hit Ogre perfectly at the chest as the force he used sent the man flying right up to the air with a scream.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

In retrospect, maybe Ben overdid it. His kick did not only sent him flying upwards but right past the rooftops and Leone as his figure just seemed to keep going. However, the thought never seemed to come to Kickin Hawk as he gave chase. He did side jumps on both sides of the alley walls and jumped right past the rooftops and Leone just to end up right next to Ogre. The 'demon' only then had a few seconds left before Kickin Hawk then raised his hawk-like foot above him and stomped it down on his chest, sending him harshly back to the ground.

So like that, Ogre's body felt a devastating blow. He had no control of his body as he let out a loud cry while his body kept going down to the ground fast. So when he hit the ground, it was in the alley where the ground then shook as his cries died with him flying in a small crater of his own.

" _Incredible…'_ Tatsumi thought with a mixed look of shock and amazement on his face. _'I've seen Ben fight before…but it was never so furiously."_

Indeed, the teen assassin was right. He may have some resentment for Ben, but he never knew his former friend could be so deadly in a fight. But if what he was seeing wasn't enough, Kickin Hawk came down on Ogre chest with great force that the 'demon' cried out in pain with everyone present hearing it.

However, Kickin Hawk was still furious looking. He showed this by bending forward at the face of his defeated foe before letting out a loud squawk sound from his beak with an intended glare at his face.

"Now stay down if you know what's good for you!" Kickin Hawk stated with a menacing outlook.

Ogre said nothing in response though. His body seemed badly hurt as he had trouble breathing due to the alien hero being on him. But whether the sight concerned Kickin Hawk didn't show as he still had that scowl on his face and got off him just in time for the Omnitrix to time out and change him back to him. In a way, it marked the end of the fight, but in the process revealed a very serious Ben Tennyson glaring down on Ogre.

 **(A/N: THE SONG ENDS HERE)**

So like that, the battle seemed to have been won with Ben being the victor. But it seemed the teen didn't reflect on that. He just turned away from Ogre without a word and headed to Aria, who just seemed a bit scared and concerned. She didn't say anything though, especially when she saw Ben come to a stop and crouch down to her with a bit of sympathy in his voice.

"You okay, Aria?" He asked.

Aria nodded in response. She couldn't muster the words to tell the superhero. But whether Ben noticed this was unknown as he raised the Omnitrix to his face and began selecting through the aliens on it.

"Good. I'll have us out of here." He said subtly.

Unknown to him however, Ogre was not down yet. He coughed out some blood as he struggled to his feet, before then grabbing his sword which just so happened to have been lying beside him. From there, he noticed the unsuspecting hero's back at him and rushed towards him with a killer bloody look on his face. However, his action didn't unnoticed as Aria reacted in the best away she could.

"Ben, look out!" Aria cried out.

However, the situation seemed too late for him. Ben was able to turn his head back, but only in time to see Ogre's sword coming down on him swiftly.

Fortunately, Tatsumi stepped in. He rushed at Ogre with as much speed as he could as it then led him to slash his way across Ogre's arms and came to a stop, much to the surprise of Ogre. But when that over, it was revealed to a shocked Aria and a slightly surprised Ben that Ogre's arms were both gone.

But it then became worse for the demon. Ben was able to slam his hand on the Omnitrix's core which then changed him into **Fourarms** in a flash of light. Hence, before the 'demon' could react, he was backhanded by the four armed creature with so much force that he was broke into the alley's wall, keeping him stuck in the process.

As for Fourarms, he looked very pissed off. This was obvious when he turned away from Aria and got back on his feet, where he glared all four eyes angrily at Ogre's figure in the wall.

"I told you to stay down!" Fourarms yelled angrily.

Ogre said nothing back in response. His body was still stuck in the brick wall due to Foruarms strength as it seemed to keep him in place. However, all that changed when a malicious grin formed on his face and he landed back on his feet with his armor having visible cracks.

"So…this is the power of an Imperial Arms user…" Ogre said subtly. He didn't seem in motion to move towards Ben though, for reasons not known. But that didn't stop the grin on his face from growing. "Clearly…I'm going to die here."

Fourarms snarled in response. "I don't kill." He said.

"Oh…you don't?" Ogre questioned, kind of surprised. However, that changed when he let out a crackling laugh. **"FOOOL!"** He cried out. **"SUCH INCREDIBLE POWER DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU! IT DESERVES TO BE WITH ME! FIRST I'LL RIP THAT WATCH RIGHT OUT OF YOUR WRIST AND THEN CLAIM ARIA ALL FOR MYSELF! BUT THAT'S ONLY BEFORE I'LL HAVE THAT BITCH WHO RATTED ME OFF TO NIGHT RAID FOUND!"**

Fourarms tensed a bit as he tightened his fists. He had heard a lot of bad guys brag about their evil plans, but not something that sounded so psychopathic. Unfortunately, it only got worse as Ogre continued his rant.

" **Yes, that's what I'll do!"** The 'demon' admitted with vicious intentions. **"Then I'll find the rest of her family and arrest them as criminals! She'll then be forced to watch as they are executed one by one! BUT THAT'S ONLY AFTER I'VE KILLED YOU AND THAT NIGHT RAID SHIT!"**

"Shut up!" Fourarms shouted angrily.

The emotion the alien hero felt could no longer be contained. He rushed over at Ogre before Tatsumi could and punched him at the side of his head with so much force that the man was sent flying a few feet away. But just when it seemed that was it, Ogre began chuckling as he slowly used his legs rise to the ground with his head turned back at Fourarms. For some reason, his grin didn't go away despite blood leaking from his head and his lost arms.

"HA! Is that all you got?!" Ogre taunted further. "I've murdered men and women, raped many females and made children weep! Why?! Because this world belongs to the strong! If I go, there are still many men and women that will keep up my work wherever they are, so go ahead and kill me if you can!"

Tatsumi scorned in response to hearing him. If this was a time before he met Aria, he wouldn't have believed such a monster in human skin actually existed. But now he did. Hence, he didn't have a single bit of sympathy for the 'demon' for him, not in the slightest as he got into a sprinting stance.

" _This guy is just like everyone else…'_ Tatsumi thought with a serious-scary glare. _'Drunk with power he attained. Doing whatever he wants…"_

And with that, he sprinted at Ogre. The 'demon' only then had only a few seconds after to be fearful of what was coming when he saw the teen coming for him. He could've defended himself, but with no hands his fate was sealed. Hence, Tatsumi was able to cut his body in an X style and come to a stop behind him, his mission completed and his thought saying. _"Trash like you…I'll cut into pieces!"_

With that, the demon stood no more. Fourarms and Aria watched as Ogre fell into two pieces before falling to a rising pool of his own blood. It was surprising to see this though, as the blonde hadn't expected Tatsumi to be so fierce. However, when she looked at Fourarms, he didn't seem stunned by the sight. Instead, his focus was on Tatsumi, who sheathed his sword now that his mission was completed.

"You killed him…" Fourarms said subtly.

"Yes, I did." Tatsumi responded and turned to his friend with a glare. "This is how it is, Ben. Monsters like him are everywhere. Don't go about saving them, they're not worth it."

Aria was taken aback upon hearing it. She couldn't help but feel like the teen was talking about her. But while that may be the case, she couldn't help but turn to Fourarms who seemed quiet. He didn't make a motion to rebuke Tatsumi words nor did he keep his eyes on the teen himself. Instead, he seemed to be in thought as he looked around them, before glaring at the dead body of Ogre which suddenly reminded him of the moment.

Just then, the Omnitrix timed out and returned Fourarms back to being Ben. The watch was known by now to do a lot of things, but it wasn't able to change how he felt. Hence, the scarily serious look on Ben's face never seemed to change as he brought his left arm to his chest level just to then push back his sleeve and starting going through the Omnitrix's alien hologram faces. But when his character didn't seem odd, the teen's voice made it worse.

"Then I guess I have other choice." Ben stated with a single thought in mind.

However, those words confused Aria and Tatsumi. They noticed Ben's attitude was changing far from the young man they've known and so were concerned in a way.

"What are you talking about?" Tatsumi asked, becoming suspicious.

However, Ben said nothing back at him. He just picked the right alien he wanted and let the Omnitrix's faceplate to slide back till the core popped up. Then, with a slam of his hand down on the alien watch, he was engulfed in a flash of light which began to transform his body from his human-self until he stood as an entity no one ever thought they would ever see.

" **ALIEN X!"** Ben called out.

The alien that now stood before everyone present was remarkable. His body was almost entirely solid black if not for his hands being white as small star-like dots could be seen all over his body. Along with this, he had a muscular body with a big chin, green eyes, as well as having three horn-like protrusions at his forehead while the Omnitrix symbol could be seen at the middle of his chest.

" _That's Alien X?"_ Tatsumi thought with his eyes widened. He was surprised to see the figure that stood before him was indeed the proclaimed most powerful alien in Ben's arsenal.

So while Tatsumi stood quiet, Aria was on the floor with a fearful look on her face. She was different from Tatsumi though, as she had more of a reason to be scared of Ben. The teen hero had once told her how Alien X recreated the universe, as well as his capability to manipulate the flow of time and space with ease some time ago. So while she stared at Alien X, she could only feel fear as well as confusion.

" _Ben…why are you using him?"_ The blonde thought fearfully.

Leone, on the other hand, took a frightful step back. Ben had turned into Alien X a minute ago and already her instincts were going crazy.

" _I knew the lad was powerful, but…"_ Leone thought to herself. _"This power…just him standing there is making my instincts warn me to stay away from him."_

However, that was barely just the beginning. Ben had chosen to turn into Alien X for a reason that wasn't known as he stood there. So while everyone stared at him, he suddenly raised his hand up with the index facing the night sky before something unexpected happened. The nigh-omnipotent being made multiple symbols of the Omnitrix symbol to above at the night sky as they also began expanding. It was a phenomenon that the Capital had never seen as it not only caught Tatsumi and the girls but a lot of people in the streets of the Capital.

However, the incident didn't stop there. Some people such as the Imperial Guards, thugs in different alleys, as well as some seemingly normal citizens in the Capital were amongst the many people who saw the thing until they realized that when they moved forward they hit an individual wall. It wasn't long after that they noticed the symbol of the Omnitrix underneath them as a hologram.

"What the hell is this?!" cried one woman.

"Someone! Help!" cried out an Imperial Guard.

"AHHH! I can't get out!" shouted a man.

Soon enough panic about all over the Capital as many individuals found themselves in a shocking position. For some reason, the symbol on the ground acted as some symbol as it kept any of them from walking out. The only good thing there was about it was the fact that Tatsumi, Aria and Leone were unaffected as they could hear the screams all around them.

"Ben, what are you doing?!" Tatsumi shouted.

" **I'm ending it all!"** Alien X stated boldly. **"Every human with a heart as dark will cease to exist! No one will get hurt because of them ever again!"**

Leone, Aria and Tatsumi gasped in shock. For Ben to do something like that, the situation had become dire. But it didn't matter to the alien hero. His power was extending past the Capital and to every corner of the earth.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Nowhere in the Capital seemed safe as Alien X's special barriers caught people in its hold. It was obvious on the streets, as every corner a person could turn to already have an individual caught in the barrier. The only one who seemed to deserve it but was out of it though was Seryu as she could be seen running through the streets, heading somewhere.

" _I have to find Ogre! We need him!"_ Seryu thought without haste.

However, the female Imperial police didn't go so far. The reason was her, as she suddenly hit an invisible barrier which caused her to come to a stop, much to her surprise. But if that wasn't enough, she was shocked to look down on it and recognize the hexagon symbol below her.

"Ben?" She questioned.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The Capital Palace was also not spared. The guards could be seen everywhere, running about from one place to another as the situation was declared an emergency. Unfortunately, each one of them found themselves eventually caught in the special barrier, with the exception being General Budo.

Of course, this was somewhat expected of a man of his caliber. He was a tall, muscular man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes while wearing a dark gray suit of armor, white pants and a red cloak. But since Alien X's power had been spread, the man had been forced to use his Teigu, Adramelech (two gauntlet on his wrists), to fly through the palace with a surge of black lightning being the cause of his levitation.

So far, the general had proved to be evasive. He avoided any of the barriers appearing below him while making his way to the Emperor's room. He couldn't care of what could become of his fate; he just wanted to protect the young ruler. So imagine his relief when he caught sight of said ruler running through hallway, right before him, alone, with a look of fear on his face.

"Emperor!" General Budo called out.

"General Budo!" The Emperor replied back.

The Emperor was a young boy with green shoulder-length hair which was braided on the sides, as well as having green eyes. He wore a purple outfit with white boots and a blue mantle, as well as a large headdress. He also had with him a golden scepter which had a blue orb attached to it as he swung him back and forth while running.

For the young ruler, the night had been terrifying. Most of his guards had been kept in a barrier while the Prime Minister couldn't be seen anyway. As such, the Emperor had found himself without any protection as each place he went his guards were in a barrier that they couldn't move out of. Fortunately, some relief came over him when he saw the famous general of the empire heading towards him.

However, General Budo suddenly tensed and increased his speed. The Emperor didn't knew it yet though, but he was standing on top of a forming hexagon symbol. It was the same one General Budo had seen before now as it resulted to him to rushing at the Emperor and pushing the young ruler back just because it was complete. Hence, he got caught in the barrier while the Emperor got up from the ground frightened.

"Wha-What's going on?" questioned the young emperor.

"I don't know." General Budo answered. "But you have to keep moving! These things are some kind of barriers! We can't have you get trapped, so please go!"

"But what about you?" The Emperor asked.

"I'll be fine." The General lied. The last thing he needed was for the young ruler to be worried about him.

Fortunately, this seemed to be the case. The Emperor did seem worried, but he nodded with that expression and ran off as fast as he could. General Budo was right, they couldn't risk having him fall into any of the barriers.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"AHH! Someone get me out of here!?" cried out the voice of Honest. He was currently banging on the barrier which he was stuck in.

As everyone in the Capital knew, Honest was the Prime Minister of the Empire. He was a fat, middle-aged man with light skin, gray hair, dark yellow eyes and a long white beard that extended to his abdomen. He also wore a pair of brown boots, as well as a dark green shirt with a belt below his belly and short pants which were dark green as he wore a gray coat. The last thing noticeable about his appearance was the fact that he wore some hair of an animal around his neck for some reason.

Usually, the Prime Minister was in his pride doing nefarious things. But in this moment it was different. He was in his room, heading to the door, when suddenly one of Alien X's special barriers had formed below him. Now he was terrified as he continued banging on the wall he couldn't see.

"What is this?! Who's the cause of this!?" The Prime Minster shouted to no one. He didn't know how long he had been in the barrier since he was the only one in his room. But when he stopped his banging, a scary snarl formed on his face before he banged the barrier one more time out of frustration as he began panting heavily. "Whoever did this, I'll get you for this!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

North of the Capital, far from the place, was a war that had been ongoing in the harsh cold weather. The day had been filled with harsh fighting from opposing forces as one side was winning over the other side despite their best effort. But tonight, a camp was formed by the opposing side (the empire) as some of the army was asleep while a few were outside on guard.

However, that peace the army camp was having immediately changed. The shouts of panicking soldiers, as well as those waking up, suddenly filled the air as many of them found themselves in a hard predicament. It was Alien X's special barriers which could be seen in the sky and underneath certain men as it kept certain individuals in place from moving out of it.

So with that, panic was bound to break out. It could be heard all over the camp just to the point that their general stepped out of her grand tent.

"What's the meaning of this?!" General Esdeath yelled with an authoritative voice.

The female general was known for a lot of things. One of these, of course, was the fact that she was a beautiful woman. She was also tall and had a slender body as she possessed long light blue hair and blue eyes while wearing a general's apparel with long sleeves, a blue scarf on her neck and high-heeled boots. However, the most noticeable, that is if any man dared to without fearing the repercussion of looking, was a tattoo on her chest which was the sign of her Teigu.

For a long time, Esdeath was been always the best at what she was. She was smart, sadistic, as well as one of the strongest individuals the empire had ever since. But upon seeing her men get captured in a strange barrier, she suddenly found herself unable to take a step forward.

"Hmm…what is this?" Esdeath pondered. She could see nothing before her that could stop her from moving forward. However, the thought changed when she brought her hand forward and felt the invisible barrier before her. Now it made sense to her. "I see…Is this the work of a Teigu user?" She asked herself. "No one mentioned North's forces had a capable user. But it doesn't matter; I'll have it done with and deal with the one responsible right after."

With that said, the woman had no worry. She raised her hand forward until she felt the barrier, before then summoning her power to deal with her. However, when a few seconds passed, she was a startled when she brought her hand at her face confused until a smirk formed on her face.

" _Whoever this Teigu user is…You have my attention now."_ She thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the Capital, there was another man who was psychotic in his own ways. He was young as he had tan skin, green eyes and white hair while having a noticeable X-shaped scar on his face and a crown-like headgear on his head. He also wore a white skintight shirt that revealed his stomach and white pants which seemed to be that way as he sat at the guard rail of a bridge, looking bored at the sky. To those that knew him, his name was Syura and he was the son of the Prime Minister.

"Huh, I wonder what else I could do while I'm here…" The young man said to no one in particular. "I could head to the Capital, but I don't want to be in a rush." Then he grinned maliciously. "Maybe I should pay that woman that rejected me a visit."

Just then, he noticed something in the sky. It was a hexagon symbol that had an hourglass figure in it. But before he could question it, he could hear screaming not too far from his position, which made him to turn back and grin even more.

"Well sounds like someone is having fun." He said maliciously. "Maybe I should join in."

However, that was easier said than done. Syura found this the hard way when he jumped down from the railing and tried to walk forward only to then feel an invisible barrier. It caught him by surprise as he hadn't expected it until he looked down and saw the Omnitrix symbol below him.

"What is this?" Syura asked himself and smirked. "Does someone really think he has me trapped? Nice try, but I'll be coming for your head for this attempt."

In other words, Syura had no worry for himself. He pulled out his Teigu, which was a handheld shaped device and pressured his hand on it to teleport. However, when nothing happened, he became shocked and glanced at the Teigu before then snarling as he tightened his grip on it.

"Oh this isn't over! If this is the work of a Teigu user, I'll be coming for him and his Teigu!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at the Capital, there was one other special individual that was caught in Alien X's special barrier. She was the evil cousin of Ben Tennyson and someone who has been reeking small chaos in the Capital since arriving to that universe. But now that she found herself at the top of a roof, unable to get out, she sighed and sat down with a sly grin on her face as she looked up at the Omnitrix symbol in the sky.

"Well, cuz, are you going to kill me now? I don't think Grandma would be happy." She said and giggled.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at the alley, Alien X still stood in place since he began to commencement of his world barriers. He showed no emotion, nor did he seem to back down obviously by the fact that his finger was still up at the sky. So even though Tatsumi, Aria and Leone couldn't look all over the world, they could feel the tension in the air as more screams of trapped people could be heard.

However, if that wasn't enough, Alien X spiced the moment. He began levitating off the ground without changing position as not a single expression could be seen on his face. It made Tatsumi and Aria to look up at him as he levitated while Leone fought the urge to leave.

Ever since the incident began, no one was sure on what to say. The Capital seemed to be in a time of panic as nobody knew the cause of it. Tatsumi was somewhat frozen as he couldn't even mutter the words to say, with the same for Aria as she stared fearfully at Alien X. It almost seemed impossible, but it would appear Alien X would be taking out a lot of lives.

"No…" Aria muttered.

After all this time, the blonde was the first one to speak. She was still fearful at Alien X though, but this time with sadness as tears began to form from her eyelids.

" _I can't let him do this! I just can't!"_ Aria's voice yelled in her head.

It would seem now that the moment was a race against time. Alien X was in his moment of power while Aria battled within herself on what to do. She was scared and turned to Tatsumi for answers, only to find nothing from him. Hence, with a determined look, she stood up and took a few steps at the alien hero and stood below him.

"Ben! Stop this!" Aria cried out as loud as she could.

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused. His gaze had been at Alien X for a while until that moment he snapped out of it when he heard Aria's voice. But with that, he turned to Aria confused as a thought came to mind. _"Aria…What is she doing?"_

" _What is she doing?"_ Leone too wondered.

Truth be told, the female assassin didn't know what to think. She had too been so focused on Alien X that she failed to acknowledge the impact of his action. But whether she would support or reject it was unknown. The scene below her was changing as Aria stood boldly with her eyes up at Alien X, who then looked down at her.

" **What does it look like!? I'm ending this now!"** Alien X yelled back. He also sounded bold in his stance as he continued. **"Just stay there, this will be over. No one will ever hurt or scare you ever again."**

"But Ben…" Aria muttered. "You're scaring me."

Alien X suddenly became quiet. It wasn't unusual, considering the form he was in, but it was due to something else. Tatsumi and Leone didn't know what the reason for the silence was though, as they continued watching. Aria had taken the stage as she seemed to have an effect on Alien X while her fist was at her chest and tears slowly pouring down her cheeks.

"Please…don't do this, Ben…" Aria muttered. "You told me you'll never cross that line…Was it all a lie then?"

Alien X said nothing in response. He was still at his position as his barriers were on various people around the world. But for some reason, he didn't commence their extinction. He just had his unexpressive face down at Aria as he silently heard her.

Speaking of the female, she fell on her knees while still looking up at the alien hero.

"Ben…please stop this…" Aria wept. "This isn't you…I know I haven't known you for a long time, but…I can't stand to lose you. You're the only person I have left…My home…everything…it's all gone. But I don't care about that…I only care about you…so please…please…Come back to me, Ben Tennyson, I NEED YOOOOU!"

" **Aria…"** Alien X muttered.

The nigh-omnipotent alien was at lost. He didn't show it though, mainly because his face was expressionless. However, within that alien form, the true Ben was floating in a pocket dimension as he was facing a large screen before him which showed Aria crying with her head down.

"What am I doing…?" Ben questioned. "I did this so I could protect people like Sayo and Aria, but…am I really being the hero? Am I actually doing the right thing?"

Now he felt a lot of guilt. He could only watch the screen with Aria crying until bowing his head down as he let the feeling actually answer his question.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Aria couldn't take seeing Ben in such a state. It reminded her of what she was, as well as the people she knew that were into killing. But that wasn't just all. The very image of Ben in that way made her scared that he would lose himself. In fact, just the thought of it scared her.

So while she was at that, Alien X made his decision. The symbols in the skies, as well as the barriers around the world began to disappear until every last one of them was gone. Once that happened, the alien hero put his hand down and levitated downwards till he was standing on the ground, right before Aria. The Omnitrix then chose that moment to time out as it then engulfed the alien hero in a flash of light until he was back to human form, looking apologetic and guilty.

"Aria…" Ben muttered. "I'm sorry, Aria…" He said apologetically. "I don't know what got over me…I was just so infuriated with this world that I –"

Aria suddenly did something unexpected. She rushed at him before he knew it and put her arms around his neck, much to his then surprise. But she didn't care. Her voice sounded thankful as she then spoke.

"It's okay. I understand." Aria said softly. "But please…promise me you'll never abuse your power. Promise me."

"..." Ben paused. He was surprised by her request since it came so sudden. But for some reason, it then made him smile as he wrapped his arms around her back, returning the hug. "Alright...I promise, Aria." He said.

"Thank you." Aria smiled.

The scenery right there was a bit unexpected for those watching, but it was somewhat relaxing. Tatsumi stood quiet as he was a bit at ease while Leone stood at her usual place at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the hugging duo with a bit of contempt.

" _There's no denying it…The lad's beyond anything we've faced."_ Leone thought subtly. She then paused for a moment before a smug formed on her face, followed by her crossing her arms under her busty chest. _"But I think that's good…He's got an aggressive side, as well as being quiet cocky just from that fight I had with him, but I see now he also has a good heart."_

Just then, Leone noticed someone from the streets. It was a female Imperial Police officer heading through the still confused people as they wondered about the incident that happened a while ago. But rather than ignore her, Leone squat down and looked down at the trio still in the alley.

"Hey, Tatsumi! Lovebirds! You might want to get out now!" Leone shouted.

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused. He looked up and was surprised to see who just called him. "Leone?" He questioned.

However, the teen assassin didn't get a response. He was a bit taken aback when he noticed a flash of light by his side, before feeling harsh breeze by his side like something passed him. But when he turned to the source, he saw it was a strange prehistoric creature with a jetpack on its back ( **Astrodactyl** ) flying away with Aria in his arms.

"Later, Tatsumi!" shouted Ben.

And with that, the hero and Aria were gone before his eyes. Tatsumi gave their departing figure a confused look though, until he heard a whistle which startled him.

"Hey, you! Hold it right there!" shouted a female voice.

If Ben had stayed back for a bit, he may have found that voice familiar. But since he wasn't, Tatsumi ran off as fast as he could, not daring to look back as he didn't want to be caught.

"I said stop!" shouted the female officer again.

However, Tatsumi refused to listen. His reaction earned a bark from a strange dog by her side before she gritted her teeth in irritation as she wanted to give chase. But before she could, her eyes turned to the left and saw the dead body of Ogre, still lying there in a pool of his own blood. It shocked her instantly.

"No…" The young woman whispered. The expression her face then became that of sorrow as she continued eyeing the dead body. "No…No…NOOOOO!" She cried out loud.

Seryu could hardly believe what she was seeing before her. Ogre, her senior officer and the man who cared for her greatly, was dead.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Leone heard the shout of a female screaming as she continued walking away. She knew what the cause was, but decided not to look back since it didn't concern her. Instead, she licked her lips as she favored the kiss of a certain brown haired hero as she thought of him..

"Keep it up, Ben, and I might actually fall for you." Leone said to herself and grinned.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Night Raid's hideout still stood in its place as the night went on. Though four of its members were still absent, the rest of them including their boss were present as they stood in the meeting room, with said boss standing before Tatsumi with a pleased smile on her face.

"Good job on dealing with the target, Tatsumi." Najenda said, congratulating him. "The incident involving Tennyson was unexpected, but we'll get to that when the others return. You did excellent."

"Thanks." Tatsumi smirked cockily.

It had only been some minutes since the incident with Ben happened. Since then, Tatsumi had submitted his report about it and his mission before getting to his present situation. He was clearly cocky about it though, as he flexed his muscles and turned to Akame with clear pride.

"Not bad huh, Akame?" He asked proudly. "I've done my job and given my report, and I accomplished it somehow without getting hurt."

"…" Akame was silent.

Unknown to Tatsumi, the female assassin had thought in mind. But she said nothing about it. Instead, she began walking over to Tatsumi, who was clearly still prideful, without him suspecting anything. Hence,

"So you'll have to acknowledge m-"

And then he was taken aback by what happened next. Akame pulled his shirt off him, with his hands up, before his eyes snapped open in obvious shock.

"WHA…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Tatsumi questioned.

Unfortunately, he didn't get his answer. In fact, it only became worse when Akame turned to the other only females around.

"Leone, Sheele, hold him!" Akame shouted.

"Understood." Sheele nodded and ran forward.

"Oh, this seems like fun." Leone grinned.

At the same time, Tatsumi was in shock and embarrassed as he saw the two women coming for him.

"Wh…What's going on? You can't possibly want to have…"

"I'm sorry!" Sheele apologized.

So with that, the teen was brought to more embarrassment. His shorts were instantly pulled down, revealing his underwear, before he blushed madly as he wrapped his arms around his chest in total embarrassment.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Tatsumi screamed.

By now, what the girls just pulled could be summarized to a few words. Tatsumi was standing almost naked before four females while they eyed him. But just when it seemed things may take up to dangerous territory, Tatsumi was surprised when he saw Akame smile an unexpected beautiful smile on her face.

"Thank goodness…" Akame said with a kind tone. "I've seen friends die from poison because they wanted to be tough and not report the wound. But you seem to be undamaged." Then she grabbed his hand. "The mortality rate for those on their first mission is high…You did very well."

"Th…Thanks." Tatsumi said, taken aback.

By the look on his face, it was clear the teen assassin was confused. Fortunately, Leone seemed to perceive this as she placed her hand at her hips before speaking to him.

"Akame was hoping you would live." Leone stated honestly. "She would have been lonely without you. The same for Sheele, She was worried about you."

"It's true." Sheele smiled and waved at Tatsumi.

Just then, Najenda decided to have her own words with an assuring smile on her face. "You know, you learn to communicate with your comrades while cooking." She said sincerely. "You learn to tell through a difficult hunt...Did you notice that everything you did in those days were beneficial to you?"

"Eh…" Tatsumi responded and turned back. "Oh…Really?"

Now the whole situation seemed to have made sense. It made Tatsumi understand as a feeling of comfort took over before he turned to Akame a bit apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Akame." Tatsumi said, apologizing. "I misunderstood."

"It's all right." Akame assured him. "From now on, please continue coming back alive."

"Sure." Tatsumi grinned confidently. "Please take care of me, Akame!"

Unfortunately, the tone of it, as well as the scenery, seemed to give Leone the wrong idea. She knew better though, but couldn't help the snicker on her face as she humored about it.

"I wonder what his intentions are saying that while almost naked."

"You guys are the ones that stripped me!" Tatsumi yelled with an annoyed look.

With that, the teen began to dressing himself up. Akame, Sheele and Leone stood by while Najenda seemed to have her mind wonder until a thought came to her.

"…Okay." She said thoughtful. Then she turned to Tatsumi. "Next, you'll be working under Main, so do your best."

"Eh!?" Tatsumi responded with a startled look on his face.

It was clear by the look on his face that he had no idea how else to express his shock. However, Leone saw this as a chance to tease him as she got close to him.

"It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" She questioned with a snarky tone.

Tatsumi said nothing back. His mind was still back on the new position that he has been given by the boss. So it goes without saying that he screamed in his mind.

" _I…I HAVE TO WORK WITH HER!?"_

_(BREAK LINE)_

"For some reason I just got goose bumps…" Mine muttered.

Currently, she and the other boys were making their way back from their mission through the forest. They had encountered something unexpected some time ago, but were able to get out of it alright. However, that didn't stop Ieyasu from feeling a bit shaken as he felt confused while he followed Bulat and Lubbock from behind in his thoughts.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **BOOM! CHAPTER DONE!**

 **I'm so glad I had this done away with. Now I've officially finished chapter 3 of the manga. I was intending to add some part of chapter 4 into this, but this chapter became too lengthy than I originally anticipated! But I believe it was worth it. I enjoyed writing the scene from Alien X to the cameos of certain characters and the emotional moment between Ben and Aria. It was just so much fun!**

 **However, I feel I should explain some things about this story. This fanfiction is meant to show how Ben would impact certain characters in Akame ga Kill as well as how they would affect him. It's not going to be one-sided with Ben handling everything with ease or handling some hardship without much of a change. If you go back to the summary, you'll see what I'm driving for in this fanfiction, so expect some more emotional scenes to come. But just for quick analysis of Ben's action in this chapter, let me explain.**

 **In the world Ben comes from, we've seen how he handles it. Ben can be cocky and serious, but he can also be reckless and dangerous with a bad temper from time to time. He showed this in the original series, Alien Force, Ultimate Alien and even Omniverse despite how childish it made some things. Now when it came to the world of Akame ga kill, it shouldn't be surprising that Ben won't snap in one moment or another. Remember, this is a world where killers walk the streets, kids get brutally abused, raped and murdered and public execution and torture is a common practice for some people, so of course Ben would find staying in such a world very difficult. As to why he used Alien X in this chapter, it's because of that moment he snapped. I've been building up to that moment, so if you want to understand clearly then read from the first chapter up to this point. I didn't just add Alien X randomly. But since they might be some who won't be pleased with how Alien X was used, then be rest assured that I won't have him appear again until a scene he is absolutely needed.**

 **So about the topic of harems, I made a slight mistake about it in the last chapter. But while I've corrected it, I wish to inform those who read it wrongly that "there won't be a harem. It would just be the love triangle." The rest I said stays the same. However, due to a few readers asking about Esdeath being involved with Ben, I've created a new poll. It'll involve if Esdeath should treat Ben as a love interest or not. Just be warned however, that it'll be a one-sided love. I can never see Ben falling in love with Esdeath. If you don't have an account, please drop your vote in the reviews. But no cheating! I'll know it if you do it!**

 **Also here are some replies to some readers.**

 **Owldusk – You're gonna have to see how I'll be handling it. But I can promise you that it would be very interesting.**

 **Cyberbeasttitan – Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the fanfic. I doubt Ben would be able to control Coro since he's also a monster dog. Let's not forget that Seryu has a wrong sense of justice, so there's doubt Ben can control the Teigu. As to whether if he'll have one, I think not. He has the Omnitrix, so why should he have a Teigu?**

 **So what do you guys think of those special cameos? It would seem that Ben has gotten the attention of the empire now! Also, congrats to BenXLeone shippers, it would look like the ship would soon be sailing!**

 **Thank you all for your continuous support. Please keep it up! The next chapter will feature chapter 4 of the manga, as well as another appearance of a certain hero from the future!**


	12. Aftermath, A stroll and Mine's goal?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter **of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you once again for your continuous support on this fanfiction. The previous chapter sure was something since I brought in Alien X. And while I'm glad a lot of you were fine with it, I'll be keeping Alien X back for the time being. I don't have a plan for his next appearance, so I guess we'll just have to see how things will go.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 12: The Aftermath, A stroll and…Mine's determination?**

Aria slept soundly on a bed as she had a small peaceful smile on her face. It had been hours since the incident involving Ben as Alien X happened, since that had been hectic at the time.

So with the current peace in the air, Aria began to wake up. She let out a small sleepy moan from her mouth while her eyes slowly opened just for her to see what was before her. But when she did, she had to rub her eyes with her hands to clear her vision before then moving to sit at the edge of the bed. Once that happened, she covered her mouth with her hand and let out a small yawn before looking around her.

" _I'm in a room?"_ Aria questioned.

True to her eyes, the blonde was in indeed in a room. The place looked normal, as looked easy to accommodate people unlike her stay in the forest in the past few days. But before she could give a proper look of the room, she heard a sleepy groan from her front that then led her to look forward. It was then at that moment that she saw Ben sleeping peacefully on another bed and recalled what happened.

" _Oh right…I remember."_ Aria thought. _"We rented a room to sleep for the night…I haven't slept in a room with a bed for a while…It's really nice."_

Just then, the blonde stood up from the bed and stretched her arms apart. She felt relieved that she had a roof over her head compared to her time in a forest. But now that she looked around, she began to see what the room was made up of. It was a small room with a sided closet by the side of the door while a coat rack stood by its side. It also had two beds which were at both ends of room while a window was at the middle, currently closed.

" _I should open that…I need some fresh air."_ Aria thought to herself.

And so she did. The young woman went over to the window and opened it without hesitation, just in time to let in the sun's rays to pass fully into the room. It gave her the chance to take in the fresh air like she wanted, while giving her the opportunity to look at the streets below since they were at the high floor of the inn. The people below her seemed to be doing normal, so she didn't focus on them. Instead, she smiled a bit and turned over to the sleepy hero whom she then noticed something.

The position Ben was in was an ordinary one. The side of his body was pressed against the wall while his brown hair seemed ruffled a bit from likely moving about on his bed at night. But that wasn't what Aria took notice of. No, it was the absence of his green coat and the fact that his white shirt was pushed up, giving her to see a bottom portion of his skin.

" _Oh my…He actually has abs?"_ Aria questioned, looking surprised.

However, there was no changing it. Ben Tennyson was actually muscular despite seeming so scrawny for the past days the blonde had known it. In fact, as she stared at it, she could recall never seeing the teen shirtless until now. It was memorizing.

" _Hmm…Would it be bad if I felt it a bit?"_ Aria thought. She was still staring at the teen's body as he laid there sleeping. _"He looks so asleep…maybe I can just feel a bit. After all, I was never allowed to get close to a man due to my family's rules."_

So from the looks of it, the blonde would go forward with her thoughts. Fortunately, she didn't rush it. She first called Ben's name twice, before then sitting by the edge of his bed while still facing him. From there, she reached her right hand to the teen's exposed skin and made contact with it.

"Oh my…" Aria gasped a bit. "This feels so unreal…"

Aria's hand could feel the very skin of the teen hero as it lay there. She did pause for a bit to see the teen would respond though, as she felt he might react. But when nothing happened, she moved her hand slowly and took in mentally on how his abs felt as well as the detail of its hardness.

Unknown to the girl though, she was beginning to feel flustered. She could feel her heart beating a bit faster than usual while her mind seemed to be getting more memorized over Ben's skin. In fact, her mind was getting so dazed she pushed her hand up to his chest and felt the teen's heartbeat.

" _What's this?"_ Aria thought, a bit startled. Apparently, she hadn't expected to feel his heartbeat throughout her moment. So when she did, she took the moment to look at his face and found the teen still sleeping. _"I know this is wrong but…is it okay if I just listen to it closely? It looks like he's a heavy sleeper, so it should be okay, right?"_

No response came. The blonde's intuition on Ben seemed to be working so far as he never reacted to her hand's movement. So without any other thought, Aria carefully lay next to the teen and laid her hand softly on his chest. It was only then that she could feel the beating of his heartbeat.

" _It's so comforting…"_ Aria thought with a memorized tone. _"I don't know why but…this feels so nice. It makes me just want to stay here for a while…I never knew being close to a boy could feel this nice."_

"Ugh...A-Aria?"

And that was when Aria realized she fucked up. Her eyes flew wide as she instantly recognized that voice to be the voice of Ben awakened, before letting out a shriek and rolling back. Unfortunately, her careless action caused her to fall off the bed, with her letting out yet another shriek when it happened.

"Aria!" Ben called out, surprised.

Fortunately, the teen didn't have to worry about her. The blonde instantly was back on her feet, with a cheeky fake smile on her face, as she looked down at him like nothing happened.

"O-Oh hey, Ben!" Aria said, slightly nervous. "H-How are you doing?"

"I'm…good." Ben answered. He was suspicious of her though. In fact, he had a feeling he knew what she did, but chose not to say it. Instead, he moved to the edge of his bed and sat there. _"I'll let that…whatever she was doing to slide. I'm not just feeling it to ask."_ He thought.

Speaking of the girl, she was still standing before him when he then decided to get up. Fortunately, he didn't have to tell her to move as she already did that by stepping back. So without a word, he stood up and stretched his hands apart as a yawn escaped his mouth while he was looking up at the ceiling.

"Aw men! That felt so good!" Ben exclaimed in relief. "Sleeping is a bed beats way better than sleeping in a forest."

Aria nodded in response and put up a normal smile. She was relieved that Ben didn't bring up what she did a few seconds ago. So with that, the subject seemed to then change entirely from that moment on especially when Ben turned to the blonde with his arms by his side.

"Oh hey, Aria. Good morning." Ben greeted. He had a small smile on his face as he looked at the blonde before then continuing."Last night sure was hectic huh?"

"Uh…yeah, it was." Aria replied softly.

"Yup." Ben replied, continuing. "Well if you excuse me, I'm gonna take a shower…unless you want to go first. I'm thinking about exploring the Capital a bit more."

"I see…Go ahead. I'll wait" Aria said back, though uneasy. Something about Ben mentioning last night seemed to have her mind on something else. But she said nothing else yet. Instead, she had her eyes diverted away from the teen and heard him turn away, before calling to him. "Ben…wait."

"Huh?" Ben questioned, turning back at her. "What's up, Aria?"

"I…I have a request." Aria answered.

"Oh…" Ben said with uncertainty. For some reason he felt uneasy with that. "Aria, the last time you requested something it led to Ogre doing those terrible things to you and…"

"I know!" Aria yelled straightforwardly. It didn't seem she was offended by him though, as she now had a straightforward look on her face. Apparently, whatever she had in mind, it was something else; hence she continued, though, with a low tone. "This is different…" She said. "I…Ever since that night, there has been a burden I've felt in my heart. I want it gone…so please…can you just accept it? We're not going to meet anyone or go anyplace dangerous…This is something I must to do to move on."

"I see…" Ben muttered. He paused a bit to then acknowledged what she said. "But you know…if you're doing the request…whatever it is, I'm going to have to be there with you all throughout."

"You will." Aria told him. "This request would need your help. But it'll be tonight…is that okay with you?"

"Sure…it is." Ben answered. He didn't have a clue what the request would be. But he had a feeling that, whatever it was, it would be impact the former psychotic girl in a way.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The Imperial Palace stood strong once more as normalcy had returned. The barriers that once held the guards were long gone while the state of things was on the aftermath of the night before. A show of this was when the Emperor was seated on his throne seat with Prime Minister Honest by his side while General Budo could be seen walking into the throne room, before the imperial ruler.

The place they were in was the Imperial throne room. Here, the Emperor could always be seen sitting on his throne chair, which was above a flight of stairs, while staring down at whoever was before him. But the Emperor and the Prime Minister weren't the only ones there, THOUGH. There were about eight guards; all whom stood by both sides of the large room as General Budo could be seen walking to the flight of stairs the Emperor and the Prime Minister stood on top of until he came to a stop and knelt before the ruler.

"Your Highness, as you have requested, we began investigation of the matter concerning last night." The General reported honestly. "However, we've currently have no lead on the perpetrator of the menacing act. Upon that, reports from different regions of the empire, as well as Esdeath's camp, has reached us and concluded that the phenomenon occurred within their reach. So it goes without saying that the incident affected them too." General Budo reported.

"Huh…This is troubling." The Emperor muttered. He paused for a moment to take the information in as he could still recall the moment he felt that night. _"As the emperor, I'm have to make peace within the empire as much as possible…But this phenomenon, I hate to admit but…I was scared. I was eventually caught in one of those barriers, but for some reason they disappeared...But worse of all, whoever the person is, he held my people in a frightful state…It's scary, but we have to find whoever it is and do what's right."_

However, there was a problem the young emperor faced. He had no idea on what to do. It worried him a bit, but not enough for him to show it. Hence, he turned to Honest and asked. "Prime Minister, what do you think we should do? If we caught the culprit, what do you think we should do?"

"Oh, I have an idea." Honest said with a slyly grin. He also had with him a large piece of steak that he had been chewing on. "Whoever that did this culprit is, must be a Teigu user. So it's only natural that capturing be our top priority. We must confiscate his Teigu and have him dealt with accordingly to ensure peace and security to your empire."

"I like it." The Emperor said and nodded with an assured smile. He didn't have a single doubt on Honest, not in the slightest bit. So without saying a word back at him again, he turned back at General Budo and said. "I know you'll do a fine work, General. Please do your best. I'll be counting on you."

"Yes, Your Highness." General Budo replied and nodded.

"Now then…" The Emperor said. "Bring in Internal Affairs Officer Shoui. He must pay for his crimes."

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **FLASHBACK**

A few weeks before Tatsumi and his friend would make it to the Capital, the four of them were standing around a table. Tatsumi stood at the left, Ieyasu stood at the right, while Sayo and Ben stood at the front, with the girl pointing her index finger at a part of a map on the table.

"This is where the Capital is." Sayo said determinedly. "It covers two hundred thousand square kilometers! Surrounding the Capital is an enormous wall that goes for thousands of kilometers. And they use huge trading ships to cross the canals."

Tatsumi smirked determinedly in response. "Sounds like there are lots of sights to see huh?"

"It sure looks like it." Ben said with a grin on his face. "Finally, we'll be going to the Capital."

However, unlike the teen, Ieyasu seemed to have something else in mind. It was obvious when he grinned sneakily as he looked over to Tatsumi with his hand at his chin.

"And of course, there'll be many "refined" ladies to meet too." He said.

"Hehe yeah." Tatsumi grinned.

"I can't wait." Ben agreed.

Unfortunately, this didn't go well for him and Ieyasu. The reason for that was Sayo, who immediately smacked both boys at the back of their heads, much to their surprise.

"How vulgar!" Sayo yelled.

"Ow!" Both Ben and Ieyasu cried out. The both of them felt the girl's hand hit them before looking at her, clearly annoyed. "Why did you only hit me!?" They asked in unison.

Tatsumi laughed in response to this. It was good moments like then that he enjoyed the most. Too bad it didn't last like he would've hoped.

" _ **As a boy from the countryside, there was a time when all I wanted to do was to see the Capital…"**_ Tatsumi narrated.

 **FLASHBACK END**

Back to the streets of the Capital, the activities in the large portion of land continued. People could be seen walking about to their various places while the unlucky ones could be seen moving about in whatever poor state they were. It was a good the latter didn't apply to Tatsumi and Main, as both of them were walking through the streets, with the former now seeing the true reality of the Capital.

"Finally in the Capital…" Tatsumi muttered. "But now that I take a good look…there are a lot of people with sour looks on their faces, huh?"

True to his eyes, there really was. Despite how they were walking about, the evidence of their miserable lives was on their faces and the way they moved.

"That's to expect." Main commented, looking back at Tatsumi. "They are under a reign and terror. It's a recession."

"Yeah…" Tatsumi muttered. But his thoughts didn't stop there. Something had been on his mind since then that he couldn't help but not to think about it. _"Ieyasu…is it really true? Could you actually be…?"_ He wondered.

"Hey, newbie!" Mine called to Tatsumi. She unknowingly had interrupted his train of thoughts as she now stood before him, facing him. "You've gone quiet."

"Oh, sorry…" Tatsumi said with a low tone. "It's just that…What do you think about last night?"

"Oh…" Mine muttered. She too remembered that night.

 **FLASHBACK!**

Sometime in the night, the members of Night Raid were gathered at the conference room again. Najenda sat at her usual place before everyone while she explained Tatsumi and Leone's experience at the time of the other members absence. It was shocking to say the least soon after, as the other members were surprised by it, mainly because of an coincidence experience. So it came as no surprise that there would be doubt.

"No way! That's impossible!" Mine rebuked with a strict look. "There's no Teigu user that's that powerful!"

"Well...It seemed Ben just proved you wrong." Tatsumi admitted. He stood at the right side of Bulat while facing the pink haired girl with a soft sincere look on his face. "I don't know what a Teigu is, but Leone and I were there when Ben used Alien X."

"He's right." Leone agreed with the brown haired teen. "While I wasn't too close like Tatsumi, I got a clear sight of it. Whatever the lad did, affected every part of the Capital. Even standing by him made my instincts go off like crazy."

"Hmph!" Main huffed and looked away. "Then if that's the case…" She then turned to Ieyasu and pointed at him. "What about him? He was caught in one of those barriers, right?"

"What?!" Leone and Tatsumi expressed in shock.

However, Ieyasu said nothing in response. He had a saddened look on his face on his face as he looked away from the eyes of Leone and Tatsumi. Before, when he had arrived from his mission with the others, he had been inspected by Lubbock and Bulat (much to his discomfort) similar to how Tatsumi was treated by Akame, Leone and Sheele, so while Najenda was explaining what happened to Leone and Tatsumi, he was putting on his clothes at the time, with his coat being the last thing when Mine pointed at him. So to say things were easy for him would be a lie as he couldn't bear to say anything back.

"Hmm…is that so?" Najenda questioned observantly. She had her one revealed eye at Ieyasu as she questioned this. But seeing as the teen won't answer, she looked over to Lubbock and asked. "Is this true, Lubbock?"

"Yes, Najenda-san." Lubbock answered without haste. Unlike the other two assassins, he was calm as he shrugged his shoulders. "I hate to say it, but the young man was caught in one of those barriers. We were heading back to the hideout when we noticed his Teigu's symbol in the sky. Next thing we know, Ieyasu was caught in one of them."

"I see…" Najenda said in acknowledgement. "Then that means…"

"I'm sorry, but it means nothing!" Tatsumi rebuked strongly. He had a feeling on what the boss was going to say, hence he continued. "Ieyasu is fine! He isn't going to turn out like those kind of people! Maybe Ben mistaken him and…"

"Then why were we excluded?" Bulat asked with a somewhat calm voice. He had interrupted Tatsumi right on the spot since he felt it was best for him to speak. "I'm not saying Ieyasu is guilty of having a "dark heart", but if Ben was going to eliminate every one with that, why would he pick him and not the rest of us?"

Tatsumi was silently to respond. He was a bit surprised that Bulat would make such a stance considering he thought he would've stand by him. But if that didn't seem enough, Leone expressed her own doubts.

"I'm with Bulat." Leone said in agreement. "One of the things that triggered him to use that form was because he regretted what happened to you and Ieyasu…so won't it seem hypocritical if he decided to kill someone he clearly still cares about?"

Tatsumi again said nothing back. He gritted his teeth in a sense of denial as he couldn't help but tightened his fists as well. He couldn't believe that his friend, Ieyasu, could actually have the characteristic to be like people Ogre and other evils that were made up of in the Capital.

So while he was at that, Najenda sat back on her seat with her leg over the other leg. She could see from her position on how the report was affecting Tatsumi and Ieyasu despite showing no concern of it. In fact, it made her think as she eyed Ieyasu mainly.

" _Now that I think about it, I never did exam the young man…"_ Najenda thought observantly. _"While it's too early to determine if he could turn on us, I should've tested his mental state. Unlike Tatsumi, he experienced the torture first hand…It can be very traumatic…After all, I've seen good men turn bad just because of an experience they never would've thought about experiencing."_

So with that, the boss made her decision. From there, she then made it clear before everyone as she spoke up.

"For now we can't determine if Ben made an error in picking the young man or if he was correct. So everyone, you're dismissed. But, Ieyasu…" She paused and turned to the teen. "Report to me first thing in the morning, understood?"

"Yes...understood." Ieyasu nodded.

 **FLASHBACK END**

"Hmph! I still don't believe it." Mine admitted in the end. She also didn't seem to be bothered about Tatsumi's mood as she continued. "I don't know about your friend, but for that guy to be able to do all that, it'll be impossible. Now come on, we've got a mission to do."

"Yeah…we do." Tatsumi replied. He was still bothered about last night though, as he chose instead to say nothing about it. Hence, he followed Mine from behind as she began to walk. "By the way…" He said almost immediately. "Is it okay for us to walk around in broad daylight so openly?"

"Hmph…" Mine said in response. She then turned back at Tatsumi and placed her hands on her hips. "You sure ask a lot of questions, newbie, but I'll let you pass on this one." She said.

Unknown to the teenage boy though, they were close to a wall with a few wanted posters. They've would've even passed it if not that Tatsumi had brought up that question. So without much to say, Main pointed to the wall and said. "The only ones with wanted posters are those four."

True to her words, it was. Tatsumi could see the faces of Akame, Sheele, Najenda and some other person he couldn't recognize. It was confusing, so he drew close to it curious.

"Eh?" He said curiously and pointed. "Who's that in the middle?"

"That's Bulat." Mine answered.

"Say what?!" Tatsumi questioned, shocked to hear. The person on the wanted poster looked younger than the Bulat he knew as his hair was styled like the Teigu user.

However, whether this expression affected Mine was unknown as she continued.

"He's since changed his image since joining Night Raid." She revealed.

"Isn't that too much of a change?!" Tatsumi questioned. Clearly, he wasn't taking the revelation very well. But if that wasn't enough, he looked up to the sky and imaged an image of present day Bulat winking at him with his fingers at a genuine salute. _"This has got to be the worst before-after history ever."_ He thought dejectedly.

Just then, Mine interrupted him, composedly with her arms at her back.

"Now that that's cleared up, we have a mission to complete." She said

Tatsumi grinned excitedly. "Bring it on." 

And so with that, both teens excitedly sent their fist up in the air.

"Alright! Let's start with the inspection of the city's condition!" Mine exclaimed.

"I don't know what that is about, but yeah!" Tatsumi exclaimed as well.

Unfortunately, the teen soon found out what she meant. They went to a café where they ate, with Tatsumi skeptical about it, then a woman's clothing store where Tatsumi felt taken aback about, and went off to more stores where Mine enjoyed going through various clothes, with Tatsumi carrying the packages.

Sometime later, Tatsumi and Mine were almost with their 'mission' and were seated outside of some café, precisely at an umbrella table. Mine seemed satisfied of how the shopping went while Tatsumi just degradedly agreed with her. But once Mine concluded that the 'mission' was complete, Tatsumi was quick to retort that it wasn't a mission. Unfortunately, It wasn't long after that he got smacked at the face, knocked down and (for an odd humor) threatened by the pink haired assassin to be teleported to some other worlds (basically different worlds of mangas).

Soon enough, Tatsumi groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. Mine was hard to understand with the uptight attitude that she has. So as Tatsumi was getting over it, his attention was soon diverted to a crowd not far from them as their numbers were noticeable. Not surprising it got his attention as he turned fully at it with Mine standing next to him.

"What's all the commotion?" Tatsumi asked.

"It's probably the public execution of someone who defied the Empire." Mine answered plainly.

True to her words, it really was. However, it was more horrific than an outsider like Tatsumi would think. The people being executed had a huge nail impaled through their body as they were stuck to a cross where they suffered in agony. Along with that, each of them had one of their limbs gone while their blood was splattered all over their bodies despite the people below them seeing it.

"This is a usual thing in the Capital." Mine informed Tatsumi.

Now the teen was completely shocked at what he was seeing. He could see plainly that the people were in pain, hence he was very startled by it.

"H-How...cruel.' He commented, horrified.

"It's because the minister says it's okay…" Mine said back. Her attitude from then on changed to something deep and serious as she continued. "It was thanks to the shrewdness of the Minister that the current young emperor won the battle for succession. But I…I won't be like them. I'll definitely live and see this fight to the end!"

" _The Minister huh…"_ Tatsumi calmly wondered. _"What kind of monster could he be?"_

_(LINE BREAK)_

While Tatsumi and Mine were at one side of the crowd, Ben and Aria were at the other side of the crowd. They had seen the crowd from a mile away, though only Aria objected for Ben to go there. Unfortunately, the teen wasn't always one to listen; hence he went over there only to stand shocked at what he was seeing.

"Wh-What is this?" Ben questioned, horrified at the scene. His eyes were shaking at the time while he gulped down a bit of spit due to his throat suddenly feeling dry. The people he saw being 'punished' was showing great signs of pain as one part of their limb was gone while blood continued to ooze out of their bodies.

"I told you to stay away." Aria said from behind. She didn't need to look at the teen's face to know how he was feeling. Hence, as she got to stand at his side, she looked at the suffering individuals like it was nothing and continued. "This is the work of the Prime Minister. He does this just because he can and because no one can stop him. That is to expect when he manipulates the emperor ever since he helped him to win the race to the throne. Now do you understand how things are?"

"I…I do." Ben answered hesitantly.

However, Aria wasn't convinced. She showed this when she turned her eyes suspiciously at Ben just in time to see him turn away. But before he could leave, she grabbed him by the arm and held him firmly while facing his back. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked strictly.

"What does it look like…" Ben muttered and turned back. "I'm going to help those people."

"That's stupid…" Aria said suddenly, surprisingly Ben. She clearly saw that her comment on the teen affected him the moment she said it. However, she didn't show concern on it as she continued. "Have you thought this thing through? In this world, letting your emotion get the better of you will get you killed. That is what probably happened to those people, and the same could happen to you. You may not have your face on a wanted poster, but your Omnitrix's symbol is about everywhere with Imperial guards looking for anyone is connected to it. Just be glad you have that coat covering the device...who knows what would've happened if you didn't."

"So what should I do?!" Ben questioned with a shout. For the first time in a long time, the teen was facing the blonde angrily as he continued. "Those people are suffering up there! I may not be able to stop the empire for now, but the least I can do is save them."

"And then what?!" Aria yelled back, though her tone was hush. "Those people's faces will be everywhere in the Empire. Nowhere will be safe for them, and that's only if they're able to adjust to life just from the trauma they experienced! I should know, I've had to be the unfortunate monster to cause good people that!"

"Oh…" Ben paused. He began to realize the implication of Aria's words as he stood there facing now. So as he was quiet, his mood changed to a softer one of mild regret before he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Aria. It's just that...this whole thing, it's out of my area of work."

"Well…" Aria said and smiled at him. "Good thing you have me…Just know that for now, we can't afford to be on the run from the Empire…I believe that one day you'll redeem the state this world has been, so take it easy for now. We'll get there…together."

"Sure." Ben smiled back.

And so with that, both teens walked away. Their conversation had luckily not gotten caught by any spying ears as most people tended to pay attention to their on things. So with that, they both continued their walk through the Capital to explore it.

(LINE BREAK)_

Night time arrived on time as its familiarity was casted over the skies. And since that was the case, the assassin group known as Night Raid were once again on another mission as five of their members, Lubbock, Akame, Leone, Bulat and Sheele could be seen speeding through the forest, heading to the location of their new target. During that time, each of them could recall Najenda's words as it was the last they heard of her before heading off to their mission.

" _ **Everyone, there's a new request."**_ **Najenda had announced.** _ **"The target this the time is a blood relative of the Prime Minister. A man named Iwokaru. Using the Minister's name, he abducts girls from the Capital and beats them to death. His five bodyguards also share his guilt in this. Now this is an important mission, so everyone will attack. That means Sheele is reinstated to participate in missions again. However, Ieyasu will have to stay back for reasons I'll make clear when the time comes."**_

And so with that, the mission was being carried out. The five Night Raid members previously mentioned were set to the location of the target while Tatsumi and Mine sat at two branches, with the former holding a one eyed scope to look at the mansion before him,

"That's the mansion Iwokaru live in…" Tatsumi said observantly. "Such a shame Ieyasu couldn't be here. He would like to see this."

"It can't be helped." Mine commented plainly. "The boss obviously wants to examine your friend, so it's best he stays out of it." So with that said, the female assassin readied her **Pumpkin** and looked at the mansion directly. "I won't be able to hit him at this distance. I'll have to wait until he comes out of the compound to strike."

"And then it's my turn after the shot, right?" Tatsumi asked with an excited grin. "Leave it to me!"

"Hmph. Don't get your hopes up." Mine smug a bit in response.

Just then, Tatsumi noticed something about the female assassin. He could see how her expression suddenly changed as she seemed focused on the mission at hand. It was surprising to see this, considering this was someone he didn't like very well. But that didn't stop him from turning to her, amazed at her attitude.

" _Awesome concentration…"_ He thought admirably. _"I can even feel her willpower over here."_

"He's coming out." Mine announced.

"Huh…What, where?" Tatsumi asked. He had been a bit taken aback by her, but was able to compose himself enough to use the eye scope to look through it. Once that happened, he saw what she meant.

The relative of the Prime Minister, Iwokaru, was out, but along with a lot of women marching at both of his sides. He was short in height, while having black hair with a purple streak on the left side of his bangs. He also seemed to wear small, round glasses, as well as his outfit consisting a military-like green uniform with a white fur collar, a red sash and an epaulets. Along with this, his taste in his riches was showed as he wore expensive black boots and gloves, while holding two women close to him at both sides as he seemed to be flirting with them.

"You can't attack now; a lot of people came with him." Tatsumi informed Mine urgently.

"So what?" Mine plainly asked.

In response, Tatsumi was a bit taken aback by her attitude and turned to her in doubt.

"What do you mean…" He asked skeptically. "How are you doing to snipe him?"

"It doesn't matter." Mine answered him plainly.

Now this was become a bit serious for Tatsumi to take likely. It made Tatsumi feel concerned at the moment as he could see Mine not backing down from her goal. Hence, he continued.

"No way." The teen said back. "Tell me you aren't intending to kill innocent bystanders!"

However, Mine said nothing back at him. She already had her finger at the trigger of her Pumpkin, when she suddenly took the shot. The shot could then be heard letting out a boom sound as a single energy bullet flew right out of the Teigu and headed straight for Iwokaru. The man from there on could only see the shot for a second before it went right through his forehead, killing him alone instantly as his body fell right to the ground dead.

So it goes without saying that Tatsumi was baffled at the shot. His mouth and eyes were widened, while his hand still clutched on to the eye scope as he took in the amazing shot sent by the female assassin.

Speaking of said assassin, she smirked as she turned away with her Teigu still in hand.

"You know, I'm a genius sniper." She said in compliment to herself.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at the mansion, about five guards with various swords ran through the forest in pursuit.

"Catch the assassins no matter what it takes!" One of them instructed. "If we allow them to escape, the Prime Minister will kill us himself!"

"They shouldn't have gotten far…" said another of them.

Unfortunately, they didn't get to go that far. The reason for that was Night Raid, which had five of its members standing in their way, facing them in readiness for a battle. Sheele stood with **Extase** in hand while Akame stood next to her with **Murasame** ready. The same could be said for Leone, who was in her beast form, as Bulat stood as **Incursio** next to her, with Lubbock standing next to him by his left.

"Well, well…" Leone said before the guards. It wasn't long after that a grin formed on her face as she then mashed both of her fists against each other. "Now then. Let's go wild!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

With their own part of the mission done, both Tatsumi and Mine made their way through the forest. The place was quiet as both went through the various trees, marching on the roots despite how troubling it was. But as they continued, complaining about the roots couldn't be prevented anymore.

"Aw Geez…" Mine said while placing a hand on a tree for balance. "These roots are hard to walk on."

Tatsumi kind of agreed with her. He was finding it a bit troubling to walk properly on the roots that were in their path. However, his mind was on something else as he was following Mine from behind.

"Do you think our pursuers have all been taken out already?" He asked.

"Those enemies were trained at Koukenji." Mine informed him as an answer. "They may not be taken out so easily. It's the best martial arts temple in the empire. If you're a relative of the minister, the grade of your bodyguards goes up."

From there, Mine went a bit off from the explanation. Tatsumi noticed this as her voice displayed a form of annoyance as she continued.

"Doing whatever he wants, using his relative name for cover is the type of thing I hate the most." The female assassin said.

Now that got Tatsumi thinking. He couldn't help but wonder about the female assassin before him. Hence, it got him thinking.

" _Has something like that happened in her past…?"_ The teen wondered.

Just then, Mine came to a stop and looked sideways at him. It hadn't passed a minute since he had asked that question in mind, and already Mine was giving him a look. So in what seemed like mindreading, Mine sighed and said casually. "Okay, Okay. As a special service, I'll tell you a story from my past."

" _I hadn't even asked!"_ Tatsumi thought in shock.

However, none of that mattered then. Mine still seemed open to explain a part of her past as a serious look came down on her face. So when she began, Tatsumi paid good attention as she spoke.

"I was born and raised at the western border of the empire. And half of my blood is foreign." She said explanatorily. "I was mercilessly ridiculed. Nobody accepted me…that was except one man. If it weren't for him, I could say my entire childhood was made of misery."

 **FLASHBACK (FIVE YEARS AGO, PROBABLY)_**

A young version of Mine was standing at a wall which was drawn with a bullseye on it. At that time, she was the current target of a group of people, mostly male, as they were throwing whatever fruit they had with them while laughing and calling Mine numerous names. It also didn't help Mine's situation that she wore dirty rag clothes, with her pink hair badly uncombed as it reached till the back of her legs.

"Take this, pink shit!" shouted one man.

Like the others, he too was enjoying the ridicule he was giving her. He already had a fruit in hand when he called out to her, before then throwing it for her head. But as he did that, he missed her by a few meters.

"Well shit I missed." The man cursed. He was disappointed by his near miss as he saw Mine left untouched. But rather than back down, he brought his hand out to a person and said. "Hey, hand me another one. I'll get her this time."

"Sure thing." replied a woman. Like the others, she too had given her throw at the pink haired child before her. Hence, she had a crooked smile on her face as she handed the man another apple before saying. "Be sure to give her a good hit. That'll teach that wench for being born!"

"Haha! You know it!" The man grinned.

And so with that, the man clutched the apple and drew his hand back. Mine was still in perfect spot as he had his sight on her, ready to throw the fruit at her for sure. But before he could, a hand held his throwing wrist firmly, thereby halting his throw and getting his attention.

"Who the…Who are you?" The man asked, startled. Before, when he had felt his arm been caught, he had expected it to be a small fry. However, whom he saw that it was a muscular man who was looking down at him with his green eyes, he was scared.

"My name isn't important." The muscular man said. "Now I'm going to ask you to hand me the apple, got it?"

"Of…Of course." The man stammered in return. Apparently, seeing the man's size over him was enough to get him scared. Hence, he complied as the muscular man let him go, before then handing the apple directly at his hand. "H-Here you go. You can have the next shot of the girl."

"Huh…" The man paused and looked at the apple. He showed no expression as the eyed the fruit, for a reason which wasn't known. But when he looked back at the man, he did something totally unexpected.

A loud cry, followed by a crash, was heard as everyone present were shocked at what they saw. The man whom the muscular man had been talking to had been sent flying backwards until he hit a wall by the side with his body hitting the ground unconscious.

"Now then…" The muscular man said. He turned his attention from the unconscious man before looking at the remaining group with a calm look on his face. "Do any of you want to give me the first throw or are you going to apologize and run off like the scared assholes I know you are?"

The other people were quiet as they exchanged looks. Though the man didn't show it, he was threatening to do the same thing he did to the other man earlier. So rather than answer him, they instantly let out screams of fear and ran off without turning back.

"Huh…that was rude." The muscular man commented plainly. He could see the people running off right before him, but couldn't be bothered about it. Instead, he noticed the apple still in his hand, before biting on a part of it and chewing on it. "Hmm, pretty good...Can't believe they were gonna waste this." He said.

Just then, the man paused and noticed something. He had been in his own mind for a while there since he was taken in by the apple's taste. But now that he saw Mine, he couldn't help but face her entirely and casually talk to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.

Mine didn't answer. She had seen the swift beating her oppressor had received before, just to the point that she was very scared. So upon making eye contact with the man, she lowered her head down and shut her eyes closed while her body shook as she dared not look the man in the face.

"Ple-Please…don't hurt me." Mine whimpered softly.

"Huh…" The man muttered. He seemed a bit taken aback, as well as disappointed as he heard her. "I'm not going to."

"Huh?" Mine questioned, confused.

Ever since she could remember, she had always been ridiculed. She had been hit, cursed at and even made fun of like she was a lesser human being. But here she was, surprised at what the muscular man said as it led her to snap her eyes open. But if that wasn't enough, she saw an apple right before her face, with the man's hand holding it in place.

"Here…Take it." The man said causally. "Seeing you like this, I get the feeling you would need this more than I do."

Mine paused a bit with mixed feelings. In one hand, she wanted to collect the apple and in the other she wanted to run away. She didn't feel like she could trust the man, seeing as there has never been a person she could've trusted. But when she looked at his face, she noticed a small warming smile on his face which was devoid of any mischief as he stared down at her.

So without saying anything, Mine took her chance. She took the apple slowly from the muscular man's hand, before looking down at the ground, hugging the fruit to her chest.

"Th-Thank you." She said gratefully.

"You're welcome." The muscular man said.

From the looks of it, the man didn't have any ulterior motive either. He simply drew back his hand and put up a calm look on his face as he continued standing before her. So while that was the case, Mine noticed his appearance, as well as his body's features.

The man was clearly tall as he stood over Mine's small body by far. He was muscular, as mentioned before, as he had noticeable tousled brown hair which had grey hair at both sides, The clothes he wore were also visible, as Mine saw it consist of a white-striped black shirt with short sleeves, black fingerless gloves, green pants, black boots and a green trench coat which he wore at his shoulders. In fact, as she stared at him, she noticed two green gauntlets at his wrists that was clearly not a normal accessory.

"Well…I guess I'll be going." The man said with a sigh. "Take good care of yourself…You're going to need it."

Mine said nothing in return. Her eyes shook constantly as she turned her head away from the man who rescued her. For some reason, she felt bad that he said that to her. She was no longer shaking in fear like she was before; instead she was now feeling hesitant to do anything else while clutching the apple.

However, whether the man noticed her behavior was left unknown. He turned his back at Mine without saying a word after and not long was gone before her eyes.

…

…well it would've been if not that she actually followed him. She was still wary about him though, but with a bit of curiosity as she followed the strange man from before. Unfortunately, doing that was easier said than done. Mine had to ignore the despising glares different people were giving her as she passed them without looking back. It was a normal occurrence for her to experience, so she tried not to pay any attention to them. Besides, she also had the trouble of avoiding any physical contact with people since she didn't want to draw out any trouble.

Unfortunately, that was again easier said than done. The street was a marketplace as people could be seen going about in their numbers, just to the amount that avoiding the people was nearly impossible.

So it goes without saying that Mine was finding it difficult to keep walking. The sight of her rescuer was getting smaller and smaller while she tried to keep up, though failing. Unfortunately, that led her to barge into someone who then backhanded her so hard that she hit the ground on her side.

"Stupid mixed-ass bitch!" cursed the person angrily. "Look where you're going!"

Mine whimpered in response to this. She was back to feeling scared for her safety as it was apparent that she would get hurt. This was obvious when everyone passing by came to a stop as all eyes were immediately at the angry man and her as he stood before her frail body, glaring down at her like she was a menace.

"Pl-Please I'm sorry." Mine begged in a low voice.

"Sorry?" The man asked rhetorically. "You should've stayed quiet, you wench!"

Mine continued to whimper in response to the man. She knew by now that there was no way the man was going to back down from becoming physical. So as she saw him raise his leg up at her, she shut her eyes closed and shielded her face with her arms, knowing full well on what would come next.

However, the physical pain didn't come to her. Instead, the people standing were surprised at what really happened. The man was about to stomp his foot down on Mine, when suddenly another man came right at him and side kick him at his side with so much force that he was sent flying a few feet away.

"AHHH!" The guy cried out.

The attack came as a surprise to everyone who watched. They watched as the attacked man hit the ground hard on his side, before diverting their attention at the attacker who was now standing on both feet. From the scowling look on his face, it was clear he didn't like the other guy at all.

"You know, guys like you make me sick." The muscular man yelled angrily. "Just because she's of different blood doesn't mean she's any different than you! Now if you know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from her or else you and anyone else would be answering to my fists!"

In short, the message was clear to everyone. The muscular man was no pushover, as observed by his action and emotion. But whether the man intended for them to be fearful of him was unknown as he turned to Mine who was now staring at him, with both of them then making eye contact.

"Hey, you okay?" The man asked.

"Y-Yes." Mine nodded, though her body was still shaking.

The muscular man seemed to take notice of this though, as it brought a feeling of sympathy on him. But he made no focus on it or the people still looking at them. Instead, he cracked a small smile on his face and knelt down at Mine with one knee before petting her softly on the head, much to her small surprise.

"You know, it's dangerous to be walking about on your own." The man said softly. "But it's also brave of you, so don't feel bad about it, okay?"

"Um…yes." Mine said and nodded.

"Good." The man commented.

Just then, the man did something else unexpected. He removed his hand from Mine's head and wrapped his arm around her back. Hence, before the little girl knew it, he lifted her off the ground and drew her close to his chest, much to her surprise as she looked at him. But when they made eye contact again, she felt at ease and at awe at his facial expression.

"You don't mind, do you?" The man asked.

"N-No." Mine shook her head.

And so with that, the man had no problem. He smiled coolly at Mine who just stared at him in awe before she felt him walk away with her still in his arm. The people in his way gave way for him while those behind him said nothing to catch his attention. But when Mine looked over his shoulder, she noticed the people glaring at them, with some of them murmuring at each other in such a way that she felt guilt about it and frowned.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Huh?" The man questioned, confused.

"I said…I'm sorry." Mine said again, though a bit louder. She still felt guilt as the seconds continued. Hence, as she was still being carried, she turned to face the man's face with that guilt still showing. "This is my fault…I-I didn't want them to hate you…I'm sorry."

"You worry too much." The man replied causally.

His response surprised to Mine. She looked at him, expecting verbal words at him, but instead got to see his casual smile as he continued walking.

"Listen…kid. If I was worried about the negative things people thought of me, I wouldn't be the hero I became. Sometimes in life, you're going to do things that people won't like and in other times you might be something that they despise. But in the end it doesn't matter. They don't define who you are or who you're going to be…That decision is up to you. Remember that, okay?" The man told her boldly.

Mine nodded in response. She didn't feel scared anymore, not in the slightest bit. The only thing she did feel was safety and amazement at the man she was staring at.

"By the way…" The man said suddenly. "The name's Ken…Ken Tennyson. What about you?"

"I'm…I'm Main." Main answered.

"Main, huh?" The man smirked. "I knew someone with that name."

"You did?" Main asked.

"Yup." Ken said with a nod. "She's alive but…I haven't seen her in a long time now."

"Wow…She must have been so cool." Mine commented. But then she frowned. "Unlike me…I'm just…"

"Actually, she was just like you." Ken corrected her. His reply seemed to surprise the little girl as she clearly hadn't expected it. But he continued. "She was an assassin and a genius sniper…or so she claimed. We didn't get on a good start. She was annoying, loud and uptight…But as I got to know her and her friends, I realized that she wasn't all bad. She was born and raised in a bad side of the empire, so one would expect she wouldn't turn out well. But she proved them wrong. She survived through that miserable part of her life, became one of the greatest assassins the world has ever seen and settled down in time to have a fulfilling life."

Mine was amazed to hear this. The way Ken explained about his friend sounded inspiring and true as it touched her at heart. So as she continued staring at him, she felt less insecure of herself as a thought came to mind.

"Do-Do you think I can be like her?" Mine asked.

Ken chuckled in response. 'Kid…I think you're on your way there."

Mine smiled back in response. She no longer felt afraid, scared or insecure about herself. If anything, she felt an unexpected feeling in her heart, the feeling of hope.

 **FLASHBACK END**

"He was a great guy." Mine said, looking off to the distance. Her narration of her past was coming to an end at this point in time. "I always look back at that time…that time I had no one. It was nice."

"Mine…" Tatsumi muttered. For obvious reasons, he felt sympathy to the pink haired assassin as he stood behind her. "So what happened to him? You never brought him up until now."

"I don't know." Mine replied with a soft tone. "We spent some days together, but we weren't meant to stay together forever I guess. He told me he was involved in some kind of war, so when the Revolutionary Army formed an alliance with the people of the west, I joined so I could help make people's lives better one day, but also…I wanted to find out if he was there…"

"But he wasn't there…huh." Tatsumi said, sadly guessing it. _"His last name was Tennyson…I wonder if he has something to do with Ben."_ He thought.

However, Mine said nothing back. The silence from her seemed to answer that very well as the night breeze flew her hair slightly as she stood still.

"Anyway…" Mine continued saying. "If we made a new country, diplomatic relations would grow. Many races would mingle and there will be no more kids who will suffer like me."

Right up to this point, Mine's tone had been down. She had done it intentionally since she was talking about her past. But with each word she said, a sense of straight determination came over her that led her to continue.

"Never again will I let there be any form of discrimination." She said strongly. "I'll make it through the revolution and then…I'll find Ken and make him answer for leaving me behind."

"Main…" Tatsumi muttered, amazed at her.

From the teen's perspective, this was something entirely new. Main had seemed uptight, loud and an annoyance to him ever since he met her. However, there she was, showing a different side of him that he never would've expected. Too bad for him that it didn't last for long.

Apparently, as much as Main seemed determined, she was also prideful. She showed this once she turned to Tatsumi, smiling big as she continued from where she stopped.

"Besides, as someone who had so much to do with the revolution, I'll get a giant reward and live like a celebrity!"

And with that, Tatsumi couldn't help but feel dejected towards her.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **AAANNND I'M STOPPING HERE FOR NOW.**

 **WOW! THAT WAS A LOT TO WRITE!**

 **I've actually written longer, but this one was really tasking since I had to plan out the scenes carefully and see how they can correspond with each other. In fact, this chapter would've covered all of chapter 4 of the manga until I realize they are still other scenes that would make this chapter too long. So I'm saving them, and the remaining parts of chapter 4 of the manga, to the next chapter.**

 **So what did you guys think of Ben 10,000 showing up?**

 **HAHA! Yep, Ken Tennyson is actually Ben Tennyson of the future. If you actually thought he was Gwen's older brother, then I hate to tell you but he's not. Anyway, I dropped hints about present Ben's future in Akame ga kill world, so if you didn't get it then go read it again. I'm not going to explain it here. However, I will say that when he told Mine about being in a part of a war, he was talking about "The Second Time War", the same thing he and Paradox mentioned in his last appearance.**

 **Anyway, for appreciation, as well as just to reply, here are some replies to certain reviewers below.**

 **Ah Puch – I agree that Aria should pay for her crimes. But whether on if that will happen is a mystery.**

 **Owldusk – Yup. That was the idea. I'm glad you noticed it.**

 **Shadeblade10 – Sorry about that. I put those things up just for those who may want to listen to certain music in order to get a feel of the moment. I'll try to make it less disturbing now.**

 **Kleyon – I understand. As much as I hate Seryu, I agree that she had a wrong belief in justice. But you're gonna have to see if she'll be redeemed or not. Fortunately, the next chapter may interest you more than you would expect.**

 **Shadowprove97 – Funny review, dude. It got me laughing when I read it. However, as much as Alien X would be doing a big favor for everyone, it'll have disastrous consequences as hinted in this chapter (he would've killed Ieyasu) and in an alternate timeline that Ben did do it. Trust me, it's pretty dark.**

 **BrRosabal22 – I'm glad you enjoyed the fanfic. Also, why shouldn't Ben be a prude when it comes to women? He comes from a kid's show where women have small breasts, so he's gonna act like a prude when someone pushes his head to a busty chest twice. Tatsumi was like that, so why not Ben? Besides, in the cases where he does act like a prude, it's mostly when he didn't expect it or was forced into it.**

 **Cybrbeastitan – I've written Alien X in other crossover fanfics on when the world or universe is in danger. But in the last chapter, I decided to bring him up early for reasons that I explained in the previous chapter. It was something new to try out, which I'm glad you enjoyed reading anyway. Also, while it is true Ben is full control of Alien X, Selena and Bellicus are still in Alien X. They were just to pay a small amount of universal money. I just decided to exclude them in the last chapter since their involvement wouldn't move the plot in an already long chapter. By the way, thanks for your vote. The results are below. I'll see about that fanfic you mentioned to see what you mean. It sounds interesting.**

 **And with that, I end my replies. Thank you so much for your constructive reviews. They were really great reading and sorry if I didn't reply to your review.**

 **So about the votes on a certain poll, I was hesitant on posting the results now. But seeing as the numbers is much, I've gone ahead and released it. So by adding the votes from the reviews with the ones in the poll, here's the result on "Should Esdeath have affectionate feelings for Ben like she does with Tatsumi?"**

 **Yes! – 10**

 **No! – 3**

 **()**

 **Yup! The votes were much, but in the end the majority won by far. This means Esdeath will have affectionate feelings for Ben, though he won't return it back to her. However, I feel I should tell you that when she does fall for Ben, it won't be in the same circumstance as she did with Tatsumi. It would be something entirely different, but very enjoyable.**

 **Thank you all for your votes on my poll. Your votes were very much appreciated. Also, thank you again for reviewing, favorite and following. Please keep it up. I have another poll out and it will be based on a one-shot/two-shot story of different timelines I want to write. The poll is up, so go vote on that. I can assure you, the options are very intriguing.**


	13. Ieyasu, The girls and Too much crazy?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you once again for your continuous support of this fanfiction. The reviews in the last chapter were well received and very motivating for me to write this chapter.

Also, speaking of the last chapter, would you believe me if I said I actually forgot that Ben 10,000's son is named Ken? Well I did. My bad (lol). But it won't really matter in this fanfic because…Ken isn't Ben's future son anymore.

Yup, you read that right. Ken isn't Ben's future son anymore. Why? Because Ben is going to end up with either Leone or Aria, so it makes sense that Ken won't be his son. And if you're wondering "Well won't he still have a son in future?" Well he won't or at least not yet. He has a daughter in the future and she isn't named after Gwen like in the original series (look it up).

Now about Esdeath and Ben, I've said it once and I'll say it again. Ben and Esdeath will be a one-sided thing. Ben will NOT fall for Esdeath or have any lingering feelings for her. Why? Because Esdeath is a psychopath and Ben doesn't fall for psychopaths (unless it's in Aria's case). Also, let's not forget that Ben has fought against a psychopath already (Charmcaster for instance) and never fell for her. So again, there's no reason for him to fall for her.

Also, to answer a reviewer's question, there won't be any characters from Generator Rex or The Secret Saturdays. The reason is because I want this chapter to just be Ben 10: Omniverse and Akame ga kill. If I added another character outside of those shows, it would just be unnecessary crowding in one fanfic.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 13: Ieyasu's resolve, The girls' resolve and…Too many psychopaths?**

Najenda crossed her left leg over her right leg while eyeing the individual before her. Usually, she would be alone by herself in the hideout due to her subordinates going out of missions, but recently it has been different. Ieyasu was alone with her in the hideout, specifically the dining table, where the both of them were currently seated across each other at the dining table.

"You wanted to speak with me, boss?" Ieyasu asked.

"I do." Najenda answered. Her expression showed no emotion, other than the composed look she presently had on her as she continued. "The rest of Night Raid isn't here, so I believe now is as much of a good time to conclude my examination of you from our last meeting."

"I see…" Ieyasu said with a low tone. He wasn't bothered by the so called examination, nor did he seem troubled by it. He just had a straight somewhat determined look on his face as he was in the boss's presence. "Is it okay if I say something?" He asked. "It's just that…everything that has happened, I don't want to be distrusting to everyone."

"Hmm, you may proceed." Najenda permitted.

"Thank you." Ieyasu said. From there, he spoke his mind. "If you have doubts about my loyalty to Night Raid, then I can't blame you. I've done some thinking that has made me realize that I haven't been so honest with myself…Aria did so many awful things to me and Sayo and killed her. If it weren't for Ben, I wouldn't be here…But I don't want to leave Night Raid. I don't want to leave Tatsumi's side, so just know this. I'll always be loyal to Night Raid, to your cause and the vision to liberate this world from the horrors of the empire. That's all I want."

"Are you sure of that?" Najenda asked, mildly skeptical. "You sure you don't want to kill the girl anymore?"

Ieyasu became quiet and looked down at the table. If his silence right there didn't answer his question, it surely did now. Hence, Najenda continued.

"Ieyasu, I admit your committed." Najenda said sincerely. "However, you've not been truly honest with me and clearly yourself. You were silent when Mine brought up the incident involving you in one of Tennyson's barriers and refused to speak about it when you reported to me this morning."

"I know…" Ieyasu said.

"Good." Najenda replied straightly. "That is why I've considered giving you a temporary leave from Night Raid."

"What?!" Ieyasu shouted in shocked. He then looked straight at Najenda with that look on his. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, I can't?" Najenda rhetorically asked and narrowed her eye menacingly at him.

"Oh…" Ieyasu muttered. He realized right there that he made a mistake, before shame came over his face. Hence, he frowned and apologized right away. "I'm sorry. It's just that…I don't want to go."

"I'm aware of that." Najenda said. "However, it's also clear to me that you have inner troubles that you're yet to get over with. As a member of Night Raid, you must be keen on ridding this world of the empire and its influence. You can't let what happened to you in that shed get in the way."

Ieyasu was surprised. He hadn't expected Najenda to bring up the last part, considering he had kept it as a secret. Hence, he became wide eyed as he stared at Najenda.

"You know?!" Ieyasu questioned, surprised.

"Yes." Najenda said calmly. At this point, she lit a cigarette and placed it in her mouth before continuing. "I've spoken with Tatsumi. He described you in many ways, some of which I admire. However, it also concluded that you've been traumatized from your experience with the girl's family, so honestly…I can't blame you."

"Y-You don't?" Ieyasu questioned, again surprised.

"Yes." Najenda answered. "You've been through so much clearly. The girl and her family tortured you, mocked you and took pleasure in those acts against you and your friend. However, even with all that, you managed to retain some form of sanity."

"That's good to hear." Ieyasu and smiled a bit. He felt some relief that Najenda still approve of him in some way. "Does that mean that…?"

"No." Najenda said immediately. "You're a very good and strong young man, Ieyasu, but I worry that your desire to kill Aria may cloud your decisions and put yourself and the others in danger. That is why I'm going to have you reassigned to the revolutionary army. The men there have some good people that can assist you."

Ieyasu, once again, became silent. He took in the words said by Najenda as it made him realize what his fate would be. So truth be told, he was very mixed about it, especially when he looked down at the table with his hands there.

"I don't get it…" Ieyasu said with a low voice. "What made you doubt me? Is it because of the incident with those barriers?"

Najenda became silent. She could see the young man before her was hurting, and so felt some sympathy for him despite not showing it. But as she watched him, she removed her cigarette and let out some smoke into the air before answering his question.

"I'm not doubting you, Ieyasu." Najenda admitted.

"Huh?" Ieyasu questioned, confused.

"I'm actually concerned about you." Najenda said, continuing. "Every member of Night Raid has had something bad happened to them. Akame and her sister were sold by her parents to the empire to become assassins and Mine was cruelly criticized by people in the western side of the empire for having foreign blood. However, even with these experiences, they've made the right choice, just like you, to help save this world."

"I see…" Ieyasu muttered, but didn't look at Najenda. He instead his mind was on what the woman just told him. 'To think…Akame and Mine went through that much…I never expected such.'

However, it didn't mean he was done talking.

"But it doesn't make any sense." Ieyasu said. He chose then at that moment to look straight at Najenda. "If you're actually concerned about me, then what made you feel that way?"

Najenda paused for a moment. She could see she was having mixed impacts of Ieyasu as their conversation continued. However, it was unknown if this was her intention or not. She just remained as composed as she has always been, before answering him with a straight look.

"Do you remember your first kill?" Najenda asked. "Do you remember what you said back then?"

"Yes I…wait!" Ieyasu said and his eyes widened.

FLASHBACK

Tatsumi and Ieyasu stood confidently strong before an intruder who was on the ground. He had the head of a wolf, while wearing white pants and a cloth around his neck, as he stared at the two boys before him, afraid.

"Please I beg you! let me go! If I die, my village –"

Tatsumi snapped out of the moment in shock.

'This guy's also fighting for his hometown.' Tatsumi thought in realization. 'But…'

The teen wasn't sure of himself. He felt some form of sympathy for the intruder as he let his plea sink into his mind and drop his guard, like the invader expected.

So unknown to Tatsumi then, the intruder had actually tricked him. He could see that Tatsumi had dropped his guard, as he reached for his sword which was on the ground. Then before Tatsumi knew it, the intruder was back on his feet, where he then charged for Tatsumi, ready to strike down on him.

"HAHAHA! YOU'RE NAIVE, YOUNG BOY! I'LL HAVE YOU DIE FOR MY CLAN!"

"LIKE HELL I'LL LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT!" Ieyasu shouted in rage.

Before, the intruder had expected to kill Tatsumi. However, he found that to be impossible due to Ieyasu, who suddenly struck him at the torso with his axe, sending him to the ground a few feet away.

"i-I'm sorry." The intruder apologized, now fearful for his life. Ieyasu's attack had come unexpectedly as it now left large cut at his torso, causing blood to leak out. "I beg you to have -"

"Mercy?" Ieyasu questioned coldly. "Sorry, but I'm all out of that."

"Ieyasu." Tatsumi whispered, surprised.

However, his expression there didn't matter. Ieyasu seemed to be in a whole new world of his own as he stared darkly at the intruder with his axe still in hand.

"I've seen it all before." Ieyasu said. "You bring out sweet words…try to make us feel safe. But when the time is right…turn against them without an ounce of sympathy. But do you know what's worse of all, you tried to kill my friend…You tried to take away another person close to me, so don't give me that crap about mercy…You lost that the moment you met me!"

The intruder could barely say a word after that. Ieyasu was different than the man he was just a minute ago. He had a dark aura coming from him as he stared down at the intruder like he was a prey. Hence, his fate was sealed. Ieyasu struck his axe down on his neck, cutting it right out and killing him instantly.

FLASHBACK END

"Following the elimination of the invaders, Akame reported what happened then. Of course, I didn't think so much about it due to the short timing and Ben Tennyson's arrival." Najenda said explained straightly. "But recently I began to recall that moment involving your first kill. So I had Akame tell me everything that happened…from the way you reacted down to the very words you said."

Now it was beginning to make sense. Ieyasu wanted to refuse it, but he could see where Najenda was getting ay. She had a good reason to doubt him, as it was his action then and recently that had brought him to this moment.

"In short, I understand everything." Najenda said. "In Akame and Tatsumi's eyes, you were killing the invader. But in your eyes, you were killing Aria."

"So what?!" Ieyasu shouted, visibly angry. His mixed emotion there at that moment had finally reached its max as it caused him to speak back against the boss.

But it didn't stop there like that. In fact, the moment escalated as he rudely stood up, angry at the woman before him.

"She deserves to die!" Ieyasu yelled angrily. "I know I shouldn't be so focused about her, but how can I not be?! You weren't there! You didn't see the way she laughed and cruelly harmed us! You didn't see the way she made every second of Sayo's life feel like hell! So what if I want her dead! She deserves it!"

Najenda sighed disappointedly in response. She didn't show it, but Ieyasu's rant had an effect on her. So rather than say something, the woman stood up and raised her mechanical arm to her other shoulder, only to then backhand the teen at the face. Hence, before he knew it, he was sent flying to the ground with a thud.

'She…She hit me?' Ieyasu questioned, clearly shocked.

However, his expression there didn't matter to the boss. She knew she didn't hurt him too bad, so her expression was composed as she walked around the table and stood by Ieyasu's legs.

"You seem to get it all wrong, Ieyasu…" Najenda said with her normal arm on her hip. "The girl will pay for her crime, that's how this world will work when the revolution comes. But if you don't believe in such a time, then you should stop fooling yourself and quit. At least Tatsumi is dedicated to a brighter future."

And with that, Najenda turned her back at Ieyasu and began walking away. She knew very well that she acted cold towards him and was aware her words had deep impacts on him. But she thought nothing else about it. Instead, she reached for the door, and was about to open it, when she suddenly heard Ieyasu's voice.

"Please…wait." Ieyasu begged with a low voice. The blow he received from Najenda earlier was still hurting him. However, he didn't let that stop him from standing on his feet with his head down towards the ground. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted…I deserved it. But…But I don't want to leave. I want to see that future!"

Najenda was silent. She could hear the teen perfectly well and could tell by his words that he was serious. But she didn't react in any way to show it. Instead, she continued standing there with her back at him and her ears listening as the teen raised his head towards her with tears slowly leaking down his cheeks.

"I don't want anyone to suffer the same way Sayo and I did!" He cried out determinedly. "I don't want to let my village down! So please...please, let me stay! I want to fight!"

"Is that so?" Najenda calmly asked. She didn't seem impressed by Ieyasu's action.

"Yes! I want to fight!" Ieyasu said and bow at her. "So please…accept me back!"

Now Najenda was impressed. She smiled a bit as she acknowledged the apologetic teen's words without any doubt. Hence, she turned back at him with that look on her face and placed her mechanical hand on his head after a small walk.

"You're a good person, Ieyasu." Najenda said sincerely. "You have the qualities Night Raid needs in the fight. I would hate it if a man with your heart turned to out to be like the scums of the Capital like many men has. So…do you promise to keep fighting for revolution?"

"Yes!" Ieyasu answered and nodded.

"You sure of that?" Najenda asked. "If you die, you're not likely to be remembered in the history books."

"I don't care." Ieyasu replied strongly. "I know this line of work is teeming with death, so I'll train and fight harder. I won't die. I'll see to it that Tatsumi and I realize that future together."

Najenda smiled wider. "That's the spirit, Ieyasu." She said. "Now calm down. You're officially back in Night Raid."

Ieyasu smiled in response. His head may still be down, but he was very relieved to hear those words as tears leaked from his eyes and to the ground.

"Thank you, boss." He said gratefully. "I won't let you down."

"No…you won't." Najenda smiled assuredly.

_(LINE BREAK)_

In the moonlight of the night, there was so much a person (or persons) could do. It may not seem much, but it can be with a different mind and the place to strike, at least in the case of Ben and Aria.

For a while, the duo had been quiet in the Capital when they explored it. But all that changed when nighttime came and Aria finally mentioned her request. She didn't reveal what it was though, but she did tell Ben the place she wanted to go, which he obliged to.

So with that, Ben and Aria landed right in front of a mansion in the quietness of the night. He was Astrodactyl at the time when they flew and landed, until that moment he put Aria down and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his shoulder.

"Well here's the place." Ben said subtly. "Now what?" He asked.

Aria said nothing back. She stood quietly as she eyed the mansion before her, knowing full where they were and what laid inside the place. So she wasn't surprised to see the place was dark and deserted. After all, it had been a long time since Night Raid had raided the place and did away with the occupants of the property.

In other words, this was the mansion of the Goodricke family, and with its daughter finally 'returning' to home.

'I'm home.' Aria thought with a sad tone.

The memories of her time in the mansion, the old part of her life, came rushing back. However, it didn't have the pleasure that she once had on it. In fact, she seemed emotionally negative about it as she tightened her fists in irritation.

However, again, she said nothing. The girl just seemed to be in her own world as she eyed her home right there and then, when she suddenly walked towards it. But as she came to a stop in front of the door, she saw large chains and locks on it, which were clearly to keep them out.

"It's locked." Aria said, somewhat disappointed.

"I'm not surprised." Ben said back. He could see from his stand that being in front of the mansion, Aria's home, had an emotional effect on her. But rather think on it, he walked over to Aria and stood next to her before touching the faceplate of the Omnitrix in search of an alien to use. "I guess we should knock." He said.

"Huh?" Aria questioned, confused.

However, she didn't receive an answer. The reason for that was Ben, as he then slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix's core which then engulfed him in a flash of green light and transformed him into an alien again. Hence, when the light died down, Ben stood as a ten foot tall armored alien with armadillo ears and a long tail.

"ARMODRILLOOOO!" Ben bellowed.

In response, Aria was a bit surprised at the alien form. It wasn't too different from the other aliens Ben had turned into, but it was a total mystery to her. However, she didn't get to ask about it because Ben then drew back his arm, allowed the end of his Jackhammer rise, before striking at the door of the house, shattering it into pieces on the floor.

"Knock knock." Armodrillo joked.

As for his companion, she said nothing about it. Her surprise at the time was swept away as it then became straight and direct. But rather than say anything then, she walked over to Armodrillo's side and touched his metallic arm and looked into the house.

"It's dark." Aria muttered. "But that's to be expected…no one lives here anymore."

"Yeah…" Armodrillo said. He looked down at Aria for a moment, before turning his attention to the mansion inside with an idea in mind. "I think I can fix the lighting problem."

Aria was again confused. She looked up to Armodrillo and saw him twist the symbol on his chest to the left and right, before slamming on it and changing back to human with a slight difference. He stood as his normal self, but with his Omnitrix arm up at his side and the device shining a bright green light that covered the entire room.

"Wow…" Aria said, astonished. "I didn't think the Omnitrix could do that."

"Hmph, there's a lot the Omnitrix can do." Ben said with a smug look. However, it then changed as a serious one took over. "Now then…let's get going. You obviously wanted to come here for something."

"Yes." Aria nodded, also becoming serious. "Follow me."

Ben nodded in response. He didn't know for sure on what Aria wanted to do nor could he think of one. Instead, he held the Omnitrix up at his chest level and followed Aria from behind as she headed to the stairs.

_(LINE BREAK)_

With a strong blow to the face, Leone struck down her opponent with blood spilling out of his head. The fight had taken a bit longer than one would've expected, considering the guards weren't any ordinary guard. But after all that, Leone drew back her arm and smiled chirpily in a cartoonish satisfaction.

"I feel so refreshed!" Leone exclaimed.

Sheele kind of agreed. She was glad to be on missions, hence she smiled as she strapped Extase back on her back.

"I'm so glad to be here." Sheele said. "They were quite strong, weren't they?"

However, Akame had a different mindset. She had a suspicious feeling that something was amiss as she turned to the different guards on the ground, somewhat skeptic.

"Strange." Akame said suspiciously. "There should have been five bodyguards."

Unfortunately, the girl's words were taken too well. Apparently, during the fight, there had been one person that hadn't taken part in it. That person was Lubbock, who seemed displeased as he glared at Leone.

"I didn't get to kill one of them too." Lubbock complained. "There's just not enough."

"Huh." Leone said and smug at the fellow assassin. "That just means half of your reward goes away, lover boy."

"EEEHHHH!" Lubbock reacted in shock.

However, Akame wasn't mindful of their conversation, nor did she care. She was still thinking of her suspicion earlier, when suddenly the thought of one person came to mind. It wasn't weird, nor was it unexpected of her. But it did make her worry so much that she looked up at the night sky and let the wind frilly blow her hair.

"Tatsumi…" She muttered.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"We're almost at the meeting place." said Mine, sounding satisfied. "That means mission accomplished."

"Not yet." Tatsumi interjected with a wide grin. "You're still on a mission until the minute you give your report."

"Hmph." Mine smiled.

Tatsumi was right, even though she didn't say it. The both of them had finally made it through the root covered ground of the woods, when they came close to the meeting spot, which was a clearing with a tree at the middle. And since there wasn't any danger, the two continued their talking.

"Those are Akame's words, right?" Mine asked.

However, the response never came. The reason for that was due to Tatsumi, who turned to Mine, only to then express shock when he noticed someone behind Mine.

"Watch out!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, there wasn't enough time for Mine to evade. The person who was bold enough to follow them had closed the gap between him and Mine, when he suddenly sent his fist at Mine. But then, in what seemed like good reflex, Tatsumi was quick enough to push Mine out of the way, before receiving the full brute force of the enemy's punch. Hence, without a way to stop it, Tatsumi was sent flying through the earth's surface until his body came to a stop in a seemingly immobilized state.

"Tatsumi!" Mine shouted in shock. It occurred to her immediately that the teen had taken the hit for her. But rather than focus on that, she turned her attention to the man responsible with a look of scowl and glared at him. "Th…This guy. The assistant instructor for the past ten years…He's strong as expected."

The enemy grinned. He stood about six feet tall with a braided hair at the back of his head with his eyes directly at Mine.

"My skills surely have dulled." The man commented on himself.

However, Mine wasn't impressed. She had her Pumpkin in hand as a small smug formed on her face before she readied it to shoot the enemy.

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" She questioned rhetorically. From there, she raised her Teigu at him and began firing. "Let's take you down a peg!"

Unfortunately, there was a problem. The enemy had been a standing target, until he began to move. Hence, as Mine shot at him, he smugly dodged her shots with ease, while making his way to Mine, who became shocked.

"No way…" Mine said.

However, it didn't matter to the enemy. He already made his way to Mine, where he then came to a stop, ready to take down the pink haired girl.

"Time to get rid of evil." He said boldly. "I'll be delivering you to the Minister alive. I hope you're prepared."

"Don't joke with me!" Mine retorted with gritted teeth.

Just then, Tatsumi rushed back to his feet. He didn't seem to react to the blow he received earlier, nor did he let it hold him back a single bit. He instead pulled out his sword, before charging at the enemy, who then became alarmed of his presence.

So with that, both found themselves clashing. Tatsumi had come down on the enemy with his sword, only for said person to raise his armored wrists at him to block it.

However, it didn't stop there. Tatsumi was still pumped with adrenaline as he was facing the enemy before him. Hence, before the man knew it, he released his sword and wrapped his arm around his waist, keeping him in place with all of his strength.

"This little brat!" The man cursed in shock.

"Now, Mine!" Tatsumi shouted at the female assassin. "Shoot!"

"Tatsumi…" Mine muttered. She was taken aback by his act, as it seemed clear that he was willing to risk his life for her. "Are you really willing to give your life for me…?"

"I'm not, you moron!" Tatsumi yelled offensively. But that then changed when a grin formed on his face as he eyed the assassin. "You're a genius sniper, aren't you? I have faith in you."

'He's right, Mine…" said a mysterious male voice.

"Huh?" Mine questioned, surprised. The voice came all of a sudden as there was no indication of who said it. But then, as she let it sink in, her eyes widened when she figured it out.

"Ken?" She questioned.

'It' s me.' The voice said again. Its source was still unknown as it seemed to be coming from Mine's head. 'Now, Mine…' The voice sounded confident. 'Teach that son of a bitch a lesson. I believe in you.'

Mine cocked a grin. She didn't understand how Ken was talking to her, nor could she bother to question it there. But she did let his words and Tatsumi give her confidence as she raised her weapon at the enemy, who was still being held by Tatsumi.

'Oh, and another thing.' said the voice of Ken. 'Raise Pumpkin a bit higher. You're going to burn Tatsumi's head if you keep it that way.'

"Of course!" Mine exclaimed.

If the female assassin wasn't pumped up, she certainly was now. Hence, she held her Teigu with both her arms, before powering it up as she took the appropriate aim at the enemy.

"Shit! Let go!" shouted the enemy.

"HURRY!" Tatsumi cried out.

"Hmph!" Mine exclaimed, feeling confident. "I don't know why I'm hearing you, Ken, but I'll do as you and the newbie like!"

Now the enemy was truly afraid for his life. He realized there at that moment that the teen and the girl had him in tight position. Hence, he could say no word as his time alive was running out fast.

'W…Wait a second!' He thought frantically.

However, it was too late for him. Mine pulled the trigger of her Pumpkin, which sent a shot so powerful that it let out a loud boom and went right through his upper chest, leaving a large hole in its place.

"Guh…ah." The enemy reacted in pain. His eyes were widened while blood spat out of his mouth as he looked down at the male assassin before him. 'You guys….Since you laid hands on a relative of the Minister, don't think this is over…!"

With that, the enemy's last breath left him. Tatsumi finally let go of the guy, before watching his lifeless body hit the ground, with the fight now concluded.

"Wow…" Tatsumi said, astonished. He eyed the dead enemy before him and touched his own hair with his hands. 'For a second there, it felt like Mine would burn my hair off.'

Just then, the male assassin noticed something odd. Mine was quiet and hadn't said anything since she gave the shot, which concerned him. Hence, without much of a reason, the teen turned to the female assassin.

"Hey, Mine, are you…?" Tatsumi asked, but stopped mid-way. The reason for that was because of what he saw right there.

Mine was known to be a lot of things. However, right there and there, she was standing with teary eyes as she seemed to be staring at Tatsumi's direction, though not directly at him. It was confusing.

However, none of that mattered to the female assassin. She had her eyes on someone else besides Tatsumi, as his sudden reappearance was unexpected. But then again, to her it didn't matter. She could already feel a lot of emotions going off in her as it made her cry tearful at the person responsible for it.

'You…You're back…" Mine said softly.

"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned, confused. He didn't know what the assassin meant right there and then. However, he had a feeling that she was looking somewhere else, hence he turned back to see.

"Mine, what are you talking about, Min-" Tatsumi stopped.

Now even he was startled at what he saw. It wasn't a thing though, but a man standing at the end the clearing, near the forest, with his arms wrapped around his chest. He seemed to be a muscular man in size, as certain features about him were noticeable and somewhat familiar to Tatsumi. Like, for instance, he had brown tousled hair and green eyes, while wearing some strange clothes that Tatsumi wasn't familiar with and a pair of green gauntlets on his wrists.

"No way…" Tatsumi gasped, a bit in shock. He couldn't help but notice something very off about the man's familiarity. "That looks like –"

"Ken!" Mine shouted, interrupting Tatsumi.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Aria and Ben walked their way through the corridor with ease, with the latter behind the girl. It had been a few minutes since the duo had arrived at the mansion, which got Ben thinking. He had the Omnitrix up to his chest level to maintain the light, when a sense of familiarity came over him as he glanced at the doors he and Aria were passing in deep thought.

Just then, something struck his mind. It was a strong sense of the familiarity which suddenly happened when his eyes lay on a door they were approaching. He didn't know what was behind the door, nor did he give the thought a chance. He just went to the door as they were about to pass it and placed his hand on the knob, ready to open it.

Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Aria. She was minding herself with Ben behind her, when she noticed the teen had stopped walking. So in a state of puzzlement, she turned to him with a question in mind.

"Why did you stop?" Aria asked.

"This door…" He puzzled with a puzzled look. "I get the feeling I know it."

Aria's eyes flew wide in response. She knew what the door was, as well as the room that lay in it. However, before she could say something, Ben opened the door and took a step in the room and received a wave of memories into his mind.

"This room…This place." Ben said in realization. "This is where Tatsumi and I slept those two nights we were here."

"Yes…it is." Aria replied in hesitantly. However, her tone was down.

Now Ben was confused. He could tell by the tone of her voice that something was wrong about her. But it wasn't until a second after he turned back at her did he realize what the reason could be. The girl had her face to the ground, as she seemed depressed with her hair hiding most of her face expression.

"Aria…I…" Ben tried to say.

"It's fine." Aria interrupted. "Just come with me. I need to give you some things." She said.

Ben was confused by this. He didn't have a clue on what the former rich girl meant nor could he figure out what it was. But whether it was good or not was left unknown for the moment due to the girl. She just chose not to say anything as she stood there for a few seconds, before turning away and walking quietly.

'Geez…I really messed up.' Ben thought to himself. 'This place is filled with so much bad memories of Aria's former life. I should've been considerate of her feelings.'

Just then, the teen sighed. 'Well there's no use regretting it now. Aria needs me to get her through this.'

So with that thought out, Ben made his move. He followed Aria from behind and caught up with her and waited in silence until they approached a door. Once they got there, she silently opened the door and walked into the door, to which Ben instantly knew what it was.

"Is this your room?" He asked.

"Yes." Aria answered. However, her face wasn't at him.

The room they were currently in was big. It had fine furniture that were covered in white cloth while a king sized bed was by the wall with a rug by the foot of it. As for any other thing, Ben noticed that they had been removed from their natural place. For instance, certain parts of the wall had square dusts on the wall, thereby indicating that the paintings have been removed.

"So why are we here?" Ben asked, looking around. "It sure looks like someone has taken some of your stuff here."

"That's to be expected." Aria responded with a depressed tone. At the same time, she pushed back the rug on the ground as she continued. "Ogre and his associates likely robbed the place of any value, so likely any of my father's fortune in this house is gone. It won't be long now till this house and anything else that remained is up for auction."

"Oh, that makes sense." Ben said, though awkwardly. The way Aria was acting was giving him a weird vibe. He could see her pushing the rug back till it was folded at the other end, before witnessing as she shook the wooden floor like it was loose. But it wasn't long after that she removed it and pulled out two brown shoulder bags and dumped them on the ground.

"Wow, what are those?" Ben asked curiously.

"These…" Aria said while getting up. "are Sayo and Ieyasu's bags."

Ben was shocked to hear this. He could recall right at that moment that Sayo and Ieyasu had such bags, but due to all that had happened, he had forgotten all about them until now.

However, Aria didn't seem to be done speaking. She had her eyes at the ground to hide her line of sight from Ben as she continued.

"When I was doing…those things, I usually collected the belongings of the people and burn them. It was fun. But now, it just confirms how much of a monster I am."

Ben was silent in response. He felt tensed and disturbed by her words as it just seemed to put her down. It was true that she was a monster, but to Ben, he saw someone with a good heart that had been clouded by corruption and evil. Hence, he couldn't tolerate her current behavior. It worried and sickened him.

"That's enough, Aria." Ben spoke boldly. He stood there with a direct look on his face as he tightened his fists by his side. "All those things you did were wrong, very wrong, and there's no way to change all that, but you can change the future, I know it."

"Hmph…you think I don't know that?" Aria asked. Her voice seemed to heighten from the way it was as she stood there. But just as she said that, she lifted her head to Ben with a serious look. "I know my mistakes can never be changed. That is why I need you to help me. Can you do that?"

"I can." Ben nodded.

"Good." Aria said. Then she pointed at a chair the door behind the teen. "First, break the chair. I need the leg of it."

"Uh, okay?" Ben said, confused.

There was no denying it now that something was indeed off about Aria. In one moment, she was depressed and now she was giving off a serious vibe that Ben could sense. He could've asked about it, but he chose not to do that because of his promise to her earlier. Hence, he went over to the Omnitrix and selected through the various aliens on the playlist before slamming down on it and being engulfed in a flash of green light.

"Swampfire!" Ben shouted.

As Swampfire, Ben stood as a tall and muscular plant alien. He had light green skin, as his face had the colors of yellow, red and orange with his pupils gone. Along with this, his chin was more visible while his hands were black with them having four yellow claws and yellow holes at the palms. Also, he now had six red horns with yellow spots (aesthically resembling glames), which had two on each forearm and one on each shoulder, as well as a green horn on each foot, knee and elbow. Lastly, he now had a large collar raised around his neck, which is yellow on the inside, with the Omnitrix symbol on his stomach, which was still shining its green light.

"Swampfire?" Aria asked, staring at Ben's current form. "That alien uses fire?"

"Yep…" Swampfire said back. He turned away for a few seconds to rip the leg of the chair from the rest of the furniture, before turning back to Aria. "He can also control plants. Pretty awesome, right?"

"Indeed…" Aria whispered.

However, she said nothing else after that. She just turned her back at Swampfire and walked over to the curtain before griping the end of it and ripping off a large cloth of it.

"There…" Aria said to herself. "I think I can use this."

Of course, Ben heard this since he was in the same room. He had been startled by Aria's action, but not in the least bothered to see it as a problem. However, he was just about to ask her about it, when suddenly his sense altered him to something. He didn't know what it was, but he could tell it was human, as it then made him serious and to turn to the door.

"Who's there?!" He shouted.

Now it was Aria who was startled. She was holding the big cloth from the curtain in both hands when she faced Ben with a confused and worried look on her face. If what Swampfire just shouted is true, then it meant that someone had been watching them.

Fortunately, Swampfire seemed to be on the same page as her. He dropped the wood he was holding to the ground and lit up his palms with fire, before running out the door and standing by the corridor. However, he found the place to be deserted from his left and his right.

"That's odd…" Swampfire said skeptically. "I could've sworn I sensed someone."

Aria said nothing back in response. She was a bit tensed from the way Swampfire acted, but not enough to deter her from her goal. Hence, she went over to the wood Swampfire had dropped and picked it up with her right hand, before doing what she intended with it. That meant she wrapped the cloth in her other hand around the top of the wood, before tightening it and securing the cloth.

'Perfect.' Aria nodded positively. She knew right there and then that her goal was almost complete. Now she just needed the teen hero.

"Ben, come back." Aria called to him.

"Huh?" Swampfire questioned. He had been so fixed on finding the person that had triggered his sensor that he had almost forgotten about Aria. But now that she called him, he powered down his palms and walked over to her, mildly confused. "What's up?" He asked.

"I need you to do something for me." Aria said straightforwardly. "I need you to burn this entire place down to the ground."

"What?!" Swampfire shouted, surprised.

However, he wasn't the only one to feel that way. The person who he previously detected had heard everything only to then have his/her eyes widened due to it. Fortunately for him/her, both Swampfire and Aria's attention were at each other that they failed to notice the mystery person drop to the floor from the ceiling and seemingly phase through it.

"So can you do it?" Aria asked directly.

"Uh, yeah I can." Swampfire answered, though hesitant. "But are you sure you want to do this? This place is your –"

"It's not my home…" Aria interjected sharply. "Not anymore."

However, she didn't stop there. She gripped the wood in her hand tightly, out of frustration, as memories of her past came crashing into her mind. It made her feel sickened, as well as disturbed, as it led her to feel frustrated at herself, as well as at the alien hero.

"This place deserves to die!" Aria yelled angrily. "It took too many innocent lives in false pretense and endured the evil joys of my family! So if you truly care about me, you'll burn this home of monsters to the ground!"

Swampfire glared at her with a serious look. He didn't mind the tone Aria used at him, nor could he care. Instead, he felt some sympathy towards the blonde as her action made him realize something about her goal. However, he couldn't be fully sure about it, at least not at the moment.

So with that, the teen hero made his decision. He went over to the bags Aria had brought out and held them with one hand, before walking over to Aria who he then opened his arm for her.

"You may want to hold on to me for this." Swampfire said firmly.

Fortunately, Aria understood what he meant. She went over to him and put her arms around him, before looking up at him with a serious look. Once that happened, she watched as the teen hero reached his free hand forward and shot out a stream of fire out of his palm, which would then fulfill her wish.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A different atmosphere was in the air as a stare off was happening. The clearing in the woods had once been a fight by Mine and Tatsumi against an enemy who had followed them. But now that he was dead, everything was silent as the two teenagers were staring at the man supposedly known as Ken.

Tatsumi found this very odd. He could tell from the brown hair, green eyes and familiar taste in green clothes that Ken reminded him of a certain teen hero. But he couldn't put his mind on the possibility of that being the case.

However, none of that mattered to Mine. She had been quiet ever since she said the name of the man, which clearly had an emotional effect on her. Ken was a man she had relied on in the past and someone that she had hoped to meet someday. And now that he stood right before her eyes, she couldn't help but feel happiness, joy and sadness as she stared at him.

Hence, the next thing she did was something unexpectedly. She suddenly ran to the direction of the man without a single thought as she saw he made no move to leave. To her, it didn't matter that she was doing something reckless; she just wanted to reach the man she was missed so dearly.

However, this wasn't felt the same by Tatsumi. He was taken aback by Mine's action as he never expected the girl to run off like that.

"Mine, hold on!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, his words were ignored. Mine was in her own little world in such a way that she chose to ignore him. She couldn't believe that the man who had taken care of her in the past was right there before her.

Unfortunately, the man didn't seem intent to speak. He could see Mine heading towards him, but said nothing back at her in response. Instead, he smirked in a nonchalant way before turning his back at her with a wave of his hand, ready to leave.

"Ken, wait!" Mine shouted, sounding like a plea. "Don't go!"

At this point, the female assassin was feeling desperate. Her heart was racing fast as she felt the tightness in her chest increase with every step she took. She didn't want to lose sight of the man, just not yet. She even tossed her Teigu to the ground just to use that hand of hers to reach out to him.

Unfortunately, her action seemed to be in vain. Ken walked into the woods and became covered in the darkness until he couldn't be seen anymore. The teen could've said something, but she couldn't utter the word to do so. Instead, she fell on her arms and knees, with her head at the ground and gripping the grass tightly.

"Damn him…" Mine muttered. "He vanished again…"

Just then, the female assassin heard Tatsumi calling out her name. It was unexpected, but not something to surprise the female assassin. Instead, it prompted her to rise from the ground and wipe her tears before turning back to see Tatsumi towards her. The teen was with her Teigu in his arms.

"Mine, you okay?" Tatsumi asked, clearly concerned.

"Um…yes, I'm fine." Mine answered. She looked away though, mainly due to a blush forming on her face. Something about Tatsumi's face had triggered her to feel strange about him. But when she was able to calm herself down a bit and look back at him, she noticed her Teigu in his arms and felt a bit shy. "I see…You brought Pumpkin with you."

"Yes, I…"

"Thank you." Mine said, though still blushing.

In response, Tatsumi was taken aback. He hadn't expected the female assassin to say such words to him, considering how rude she had been to him throughout the day. But as he watched her shyly take the Teigu off his hands without making eye contact, he couldn't help but find that…cute.

Fortunately, Mine was able to get over her shyness with a deep breath. She had noticed the way she was acting before Tatsumi, and didn't like it. Hence, she built up some confidence in her herself and looked at Tatsumi in the eyes, direct but calmly.

"It seems you have a little bit of courage." Mine said, clearly appreciating the teen. "I can't help but be a little impressed by that and…your concern. You now have my respect, newbie."

Tatsumi smiled and nodded in response. This new outlook on Mine was better than what he had known her for. It made him feel on an equal level with her, even to the point of raising his hand out to her to grab.

"Let's work together more, Mine." Tatsumi said.

"Of course." Mine smiled back.

With that said, the female assassin didn't hold back. She grabbed on to Tatsumi's hand and looked at him in the eyes smugly with a new perspective of him now in her mind.

Meanwhile, the two of them were being watched by Leone and Akame. They were surprise at the sudden bond the two assassins had made, but at the same time they were happy to see it, while standing a few feet away.

"Seems like it would've been fine even if we didn't run here." Leone said with an impressed tone.

Akame said nothing back. She mentally agreed with Leone on what she said, but couldn't help but recall something when they were heading to the place. So to Akame, it was too important to ignore.

"But still…we lost sight of him." Akame said observantly. "Are you sure Tennyson was here?"

"Hmm…" Leone paused and folded her arms under her chest. "I got his scent on the way here, but it was kind of different. It makes me wonder why he was here."

Akame silently agreed with her friend. However, they didn't know it though, but the 'Ben' Leone had sensed had actually been Ben 10,000, the future version of Ben Tennyson.

_(LINE BREAK)-

The Goodricke Mansion was entirely engulfed in fire. It had once stood as the home of the Goodricke family who, unknown to the public, were monsters in their own acts. But with it gone, the symbol it stood for in society was gone along with it, with the ones responsible for it fine with it. The house was deserted anyway, so nobody died in it.

However, there was one last thing Aria had to do. Her next intention was the shed that stood in the woods, at the back of the house, as it served as the true reminder of her family's sins. Hence, it wasn't too surprising to find her and Swampfire standing before the place with the front door chained locked.

"They locked this place this." Swampfire said observantly.

"I'm not surprised." Aria replied with a serious look on her face. She was glaring at the front doors of the shed as the place reminded her of the terrible things she had done with her family. "But it doesn't matter. This place has to go too." She said.

"I understand." Swampfire agreed.

Just then, Aria did something slightly expected of the teen hero. She lifted the clothed wood she had taken from her hand and held it to Swampfire, who just looked back at her in response.

"Light it up." Aria said.

Swampfire was compliant with her wish. He knew right to this point that Aria truly needed his help in order to move on with her life. So, even though it wasn't exactly clear to him, he lit up the palm of his right hand and touched it on the cloth of the stick, engulfing the cloth in fire.

"Thank you." Aria said to him.

However, Swampfire said nothing back. It was because he didn't want it, but because Aria didn't give him the chance too. She just walked away from them with the torch in her hand and said nothing.

Fortunately, Swampfire was able to do something. He stretched out his hand at the shed and raised his finger, which in turn caused a bunch of small tree roots to shoot out from the ground and wrap themselves around the shed instantly.

"That should help you better." Swampfire said to her.

Aria stopped and turned to the teen hero. She had been surprised by his action, before having that feeling disappear when she looked back at him. As such, she smiled at him and said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Swampfire said back.

So with that done, the teen hero watched what happened next. Aria walked over to the shed and used her fiery torch to burn a part of the roots which immediately caught on fire. As a result, the fire spread all over the other roots, causing the shed to immediately be engulfed in flames, with the blonde and Swampfire watching it all happen, side by side.

"You did it, Aria." Swampfire said with a proud look. He had his eyes on the shed as he watched it burn, before crossing his arms over his chest with a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you." He said.

"I know…" Aria said back. "However, this isn't enough."

"It's not?" Swampfire questioned, mildly surprised. He turned his head at Aria with a confused look on his face and his arms still crossed.

"Yes." Aria nodded. She knew by the tone of Ben's voice that the teen was confused without looking at his face. Fortunately, with her deed done, she turned to the alien hero with a serious look. "I want to join the fight, Ben. The empire…this corruption and all its evil, it has to be put to an end. But I can't do it alone and neither can you."

"So what are you saying?" Swampfire asked, now intrigued.

"I want to get stronger." Aria said determinedly. "I want to be able to fight by your side through any of the danger. I want you to be able to rely on me just as I do to you. So please…please help me get stronger."

Swampfire smirked in response. He was impressed by Aria's resolve and glad to see that she wanted to be a different person. In fact, her resolve was so good that he patted her on the head as a sign of approval.

"You got it, Aria." He said.

However, his action had an embarrassing effect on Aria. The blonde couldn't help but feel flushed at Swampfire's action as it caused her cheeks to hit up. She would've then said something about it if not for the fact that it also felt nice.

Too bad it didn't last for long. The two of them were by themselves, when suddenly their attention was taken from one another when they heard a man call out to them.

"Hey, who's there?!" shouted the man.

The two teens were a bit startled. The man was no one they've seen before, as he could be standing there, some feet away from them. But some of his features could be seen, such as his black hair, blue eyes, and facial hair that made up a short beard and moustache. Also, he wore a white shirt, with a black coat on top and black pants and black shoes.

From the looks of it, the man didn't seem all that threatening. He was a brave young man, who clearly had walked into the scene, not understanding what was going on. But then, it didn't matter to Swampfire. The alien hero already took the precaution of extending his arm at Aria to keep her back, before glaring at the unknown man.

"Stay back, Aria. This guy might be dangerous." Swampfire warned.

"Aria?" The man questioned, sounding shocked. The look on his face also showed that expression the moment he said that name. "No it can't be…She's supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, so?" Swampfire questioned, not bothered by him. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The man suddenly changed his mood. It didn't hold the shock he had before, nor did it resemble anything close to that. Instead, it changed into one of malice as he glared at Swampfire and Aria for an unknown reason.

"I should be asking you the same thing." The man said straightly. "Anyway…My name is Satou Hamasaki and I'm the man who paid Night Raid to have the Goodricke family killed."

Aria gasped in shock.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the some other words, Ben 10,000 sat on a log at the edge of a small clearing. He had a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the nightly skies, clearly reminiscing the past.

"So it was that time huh?" Ben 10,000 said to himself. The memory in his mind was still fresh, as he continued to speak. "Satou Hamasaki…It's been so long."

Just then, the future hero sighed. It wasn't out of depression, but actually due to being too deep in his thoughts. It was nice once in a while; however the man wasn't too deep into it like he would've been. Besides, he became over it when he felt a presence behind that then caused him to cock a grin and bring his head to its normal level.

"How long have you been there?" Ben 10,000 asked. "It's not nice to listen in on people you know…But then again, you already did that tonight, when my past self and Aria went to the mansion."

"Hmph." The person huffed, the voice sounding like a girl. She stood behind Ben 10,000, within the shadows of the tees, with her arms on her hips. But if one were to see her, they won't be able to because of the cloak that kept her hidden. "You're just like the Ben of my world. So cocky."

"Eh, what can I say?" Ben 10,000 asked rhetorically with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway…" He said and stood up and turned to her. "How was your little lookout in this timeline? I don't think your team's leader would be happy about that…Sayo."

The girl scoffed in response. She didn't like how Ben 10,000 pointed out the obvious, even though it was true. But rather than dwell on it, she walked forward, out of the shadows, and stood on a piece of ground that had the moonlight shining on it. Then, without a thought after, she pulled the cloak covering her head back and revealed herself to be Sayo.

However, this girl didn't look exactly like the Sayo that had been known. She had a slashed scar on both sides of her cheeks while her hair was tied into a ponytail that reached to the middle of her back. And speaking of her hair, she had a purple butterfly hairclip similar to her counterpart, and a green butterfly shaped earrings which dangled at their rightful place at her ears. As for her clothing, she wore the emerald green cloak, which was held by a clip around her collarbone, as well as a purple off-shoulder shirt, which had her pink bra straps exposed, a black skirt and black leggings, with black and white shoes.

"The way you paused to say my name is suspicious." Sayo said, though not seriously. She had her reason for talking to the future version of Ben, mainly because she was familiar with him. So it wasn't surprising to him that she glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what was that about letting Mine and Tatsumi see you?" She asked demandingly. "I thought we were meant to keep ourselves a secret."

"Paradox never said I shouldn't." Ben 10,000 said smugly. "Besides, didn't you enjoy stalking Tatsumi and Mine through the forest?"

Sayo was taken aback by this with an infuriated blush. It made her feel a bit nervous, as she unexpectedly dropped her arms to her sides, glaring at the adult hero.

"A-And so what?!" Sayo yelled. "I wasn't stalking. I was merely observing."

"Right…" Ben 10,000 snickered.

"Besides…" Sayo said and paused. She let a frown form on her face, as she let a thought enter her mind frilly, before speaking again. "Tatsumi and Ieyasu…I miss them so much. Is it wrong for me to see them, even if they're not from my timeline?"

"No…It's not." Ben 10,000 said with sympathy. He could see the trouble the girl was facing through since it was visibly clear. So rather than be quiet about it, he became responsible and continued with his words. "Look, you don't have to dwell on that anymore. I understand how it feels to lose people. I lost a few people I cared for in this crazy world…or I will, if you take into account of the teenage me. But that's beside the point."

"I get it." Sayo said softly. She understood where the hero was coming from, and so felt some ease about it. "Is that why you let Mine see you?"

"Yeah." Ben 10,000 admitted. "Even though it has only been a month for me, I guess you might say I formed a bond with her without even intending it."

Sayo smiled softly. "That's good to hear. Thank you, Ben. You're really like the Ben I know."

"I guess so." Ben 10,000 smiled back. But then a thought came to mind that made him widen his eyes in realization at Sayo. "Wait, didn't the Ben Tennyson of your world –"

"THERE YOU ARE, TENNYSON-KUN!" interrupted a female voice.

Just then, the unexpected happened. A girl in an emerald green cloak similar to Sayo leapt towards the future hero from nowhere and slammed her body right into him. She was able to catch the hero off guard, as her action then caused both him and her to fall to the ground, with her lying on top of him with a sexy grin on her face.

"I missed you so much, Tennyson-kun!" The girl said with a sweet tone.

"Co-Cosmina?!" Ben 10,000 stammered in shock. He had his eyes widened as he stared at the girl with fake bunny ears on her head. "Wh-What are you doing? I told you before that I'm married."

"That sounds boring." Cosmina stated lightly. She was well aware that the adult hero was married though. But, by her statement, it was clear she didn't care, hence she did another thing unexpected. She sat up on Ben 10,000's "private area" and sexily moved her fingers on her chest, all the while doing a slow lap dance. "You know, Ben. I'm always up for a performance with you anytime." She said sexily.

"Uh…" Ben 10,000 uttered reluctantly.

Fortunately, the adult hero got some help when suddenly a rubber stretched arm wrapped around Cosmina and pulled her off the hero. At first, the girl was surprised, until she was set on the ground, sitting, with a disappointed pout on her face as she looked at the person responsible, and currently next to her.

"Not fair, Mez." Cosmina said with a glare. "I was so close."

Mez laughed mildly in response. She had her arms at her hips as she heard the girl, before then replying to her. "Sure, I could see that. After all, Ben doesn't have the balls to fight back."

"Hey! I'm right here!" Ben 10, 000 shouted angrily.

"We know." Mez smirked at him.

Sayo, on the other hand, sighed disappointedly as she entered the clearing. She had seen everything that had transpired, from the moment Cosmina had interrupted their moment to the present, before having her eyes on the adult hero with a glare.

"Unbelievable." Sayo said disappointedly. "You faced Starbeard in combat and still can't shrug off your perverted thoughts."

"I can." Ben 10,000 said, clearly offended. But then he realized his mistake and corrected it. "Wait, I mean I have!"

The adult hero didn't like the way things were going. He could see that he had been put in a bad position, as Cosmina and Mez were known for messing with men. So rather than let it go that way, he immediately picked up his coat and got back on his feet before dusting his butt with one hand and holding his coat with his other hand.

"Anyway…" He said and glared at Sayo. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk about something else."

"Puff, sure." Sayo said with a roll of her eyes.

Fortunately, the adult hero didn't take it offensively. He wasn't like his teen-self that would talk back, nor did he need to. Instead, he chose that moment to turn to Cosmina and Mez, the former of whom was now standing on her feet.

Cosmina was a young woman with a busty chest and a sexy look. She had mint green hair in a long bob-style haircut with bangs at the side, as it matched with the pair of matching green bunny ears she wore. Along with that, she wore a green mini dress that had a green stripe along the mid-section and a pair of matching green wristbands and a collar around her. But if the greenness of her style didn't seem enough, she wore green boots to match and a green cloak like Sayo, and a pair of glasses.

Mez, on the other hand, was different. She was younger than Cosmina by a few short years, as her appearance was taken into account. It wasn't so bad though, at least to her anyway, since she had her own style of clothes and appearance in total. For instance, she had green eyes and a tanned skin, which were very exposed, as she wore a more revealing clothes that consisted of long white leggings, as well as a bikini top and an emerald green cloak like Sayo and Cosmina. Her other feature, meanwhile, such as her hair was blonde, and clipped into 2 ponytails, while her forearms had green colored armor that had an insignia of the Omnitrix but with a square around it.

"Huh…" Ben 10,000 muttered. He had his eyes staring dryly at Cosmina, as something about her had gotten his attention. "I see you dyed your hair green completely."

"Yup." Cosmina said with a chirpy smile. "You like?"

"Uh…sure." Ben 10,000 lied with an awkward glance. "Anyway…" He said to change the subject. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"Over here, Ben." said a young male voice.

"Huh?" Ben 10,000 questioned and turned.

The unknown person smirked in response. He watched as Ben 10,000 turned to him, before folding him arms across his chest and looking mildly proud at him. "Kind of slow today huh, Ben?" He asked rhetorically.

"What? No." Ben 10,000 said straightly. "Also, how long have you guys been there?"

The guy was about to reply to that. However, he was beaten to him by a short girl who was next to him.

"We've been here long enough." The girl said with a monotone voice.

"Huh…" Ben 10,000 sighed plainly. He still had his eyes on the duo as he blinked with an unfazed. "I…honestly don't know if I should be embarrassed about it at this point."

"Hmm…Strangely, I'm fine with that." The guy remarked.

The guy was a fairly muscular man of above average height. He had short dark blue hair and eyes and wore an emerald green cloak that was similar to the others. Along with that, he also wore gold colored upper body armor and black jeans, as well as an arm gauntlet on each arm, which reached to his elbow and sprouted claw-like fingers. However, despite all that, the most noticeable was the mark of the Omnitrix symbol at his right hand's gauntlet, similar to that of Mez.

Meanwhile, there was the girl that was next to him. She looked very similar to Akame, except in some obvious appearance. For one, her hair was shorter and made into twin tails, while she possessed black eyes. As for her clothing, it was a black sailor uniform with a red belt that had a red side skirt cover, similar to Akame, while also having red gauntlets that were again similar to Akame. But if the similarities weren't so strange, she had a Teigu similar to Murasame sheathed to her back and another Teigu, known as Yatsufusa, sheathed opposite to it in such a way that the two Teigus were in a X formation on her back.

"I brought snacks." The girl said with a monotone voice. She held a sack full of snacks in it with a plain look on her face.

"Hahaha." laughed another other guy. He was standing at the blue haired man's side with a pleasant smile on his face. "Good work, Kurome. You did good."

Kurome turned him and nodded in agreement. The man who had just praised her was someone she was familiar with, both in her own timeline and his own. He was a young man with fair blond hair and golden eyes, as he wore a green robe on top of a black shirt and pants with a brown belt. Along with that, he had a feather pin behind his ear and a collar-like accessory on his neck, with the insignia of the Omnitrix in a square shape on the left breast of his robe.

"Anyway…" Ben 10,000 suddenly said. He was now standing with a composed look on his face as he stared at the three people before him. "Thank you for being here, Wave…"

Wave nodded in response.

"Kurome…" Ben 10,000 mentioned.

Kurome nodded with an expressionless look on her face.

"And…of course, Run." Ben 10,000 said.

Run nodded as well in response.

"By the way…" Ben 10,000 then said. He shifted his attention from the trio and moved it over to just Run as he continued. "I know Paradox and I said we won't interfere in your mission with the team, but I have to know something. How are you getting used to the whole…"

"Time war?" Run guessed loosely. He had a hesitant look on his face, as it was a factor that made him to pause for a few seconds before speaking. "Frankly, it makes almost getting killed by Wild Hunt seem less deadly. But then again…it's kind of fine. As a teacher, I always got to learn new things and share what I found with my students…and though I'll never see them again, crossing through different worlds, battling time lords and encountering beings that would be considered gods in my world…in this world we're in, it makes me want to share that experience when all of this is over."

Ben 10,000 was impressed. The way Run presented his thoughts was so good that it showed a side of him that was honest and outstanding. But if Ben 10,000's expression didn't show, the fact that the blonde's team members smiled in approval certainly showed it as they had their eyes on him.

However, Run wasn't really done. He still had one thing to say, to which he did as soon as he turned to Cosmina with a scowl on his face.

"I just wish she wasn't here." He said audibly.

"Hmph." Cosmina smirked. She had heard the young man perfectly well, with no offense towards him. But she did have her eyes glaring at him as she seemingly mocked him by her look. "If you're expecting me to apologize again, then you're out of luck. You almost died in that fight with Wild Hunt a few weeks ago, while I almost died two years ago. So you see, Run, I can't give you as much sympathy as I would when I was two years younger. But I can tell you this. Be happy you made it out of that fight alive, because if you aren't, you can return to that time and be Kurome's mindless puppet like you're alternate counterpart turned out to be."

Run gritted his teeth in annoyance. The scowl he had for Cosmina was increasingly growing to the point of rage as he stared at her. But when he took a step towards her, Wave placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him immediately.

"Stand down, Run." Wave calmly said. "I know you and Cosmina don't get along, but I can assure you, she isn't the person she used to be."

"Hmm…" Run said and sighed. He was quick to acknowledge Wave's words, as it allowed him to calm himself down in that instant. It wasn't long after that he turned to the blue haired with a small smile on his face. "You know…for someone that's not the Wave I was able know, you have the same compassionate heart as he did."

Wave smiled at him in response. He appreciated the words from his fellow young man and felt a bit closer to him than he did before. But just because Run was fine, it didn't mean that the blonde was done talking. In fact, no sooner hand he spoken to Wave, he turned his attention to Ben 10,000 with a straight look.

"I've been meaning to ask you something ever since I was saved." Run said honestly. "Why did you assemble us? This 'Second Time War' sounds like something beyond any of us."

"Does it really?" Ben 10,000 asked with a grin. He had his eyes on his fellow young man and his hand at his short beard as he continued. "There's no doubt in me that bringing a bunch of people from different places of time is risky. But that isn't to say it isn't a logical reason."

Now everyone was listening. Most of them already knew Ben 10,000's reason for recruiting them and involving them in the time war. But, as he continued to talk, they listened, especially as he had his hands down by his sides.

"One of those behind the time war is a time-wielding Teigu user." Ben 10,000 explained clearly. "I could face him on my own, but the time war keeps getting out of hand with each second. That is why I decided on the best next thing. I decided to choose you and other selected individuals to form The Emerald Knights, a group of well skilled and powerful Teigu users from different timelines. This makes good sense since a Teigu user can be outmatched by another Teigu user or a group. And with Wave being your leader, I believe you guys will be fine."

Everyone acknowledged Ben 10,000's words in an instant. They each understood individually at the magnitude of his explanation and were confident in it even though they said nothing about. They were the Emerald Knight, and as a team of cross-time individuals, they bore the crest of their team at the back of their cloaks proudly. The crest was the same one spotted on Wave, Mez and Run, as it had the drawn mark of the Omnitrix symbol inside an emerald green box.

So with that, Ben 10,000 felt like going over his next move. He turned away from everyone else and extended his right hand out, which then caused a blue portal to appear right in front of everybody.

"Now then, let's get going." Ben 10,000 said straightforwardly. "We have other things to deal with. Besides, I don't want to be here when those psychopaths start making trouble in the Capital."

Again, everyone acknowledged that. They didn't need to know exactly what Ben 10,000 meant nor did they feel like asking about it. Instead, they watched as the hero walked into the portal before each of them individually walked into the portal until it closed behind them, taking them to another place at another time.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the Capital, some Imperial police officers could be seen running through the streets. It had been a day since Ogre the Demon had been assassinated, with most people taking the news in their own way. So it wasn't surprising that two Imperial officers were running pass an alley in search of the assassin.

"We must find Ogre-sama's murderer no matter what!" shouted one officer.

"Right!" shouted the officer behind him.

Unknown to them then, however, there was a suspicious man. He stood at the dead-end of the alley, as he had a wide psychotic grin on his face as he stared at a bunch of wanted posters on the wall, particularly one that had Akame's face.

"The same as me…A Teigu user…An Assassin." said the man, strangely pleased by his finding. "Happy. Happy. Can I really go all out here?"

Suddenly, the two Imperial officers noticed the man in the alley. They didn't know what his aim was, nor could they determine what it was. But by the fact that he was suspicious, one of them drew out a gun while the other pulled out his sword, ready to attack the suspicious muscular and tall man if necessary.

"Hey! You over there!" shouted the officer with a gun. "You look suspicious! Don't move from there!"

From the looks of it, both officers had the man cornered. They had their weapons ready to face him and the mind to kill him if it became necessary. However, their threats only made the suspicious man to turn his eye to them, before he then did the most unexpected thing ever. He went pass them in unseen speed and cut off their heads with the blades at his hands. The heads only showed their shock as they fell to the ground.

As for the suspicious man, he didn't seem disturbed by it. He just continued walking away with his blades out as he then came to a conclusion, while the bodies of the officers fell to the ground.

"It seems like…" He said maniacally. "The Capital is the perfect place to live. I kill and kill and there is always more. Happy. Happy!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Well…doesn't that look interesting?" Sunny said with a malicious grin.

Just recently, something had caught the interest of the evil Anodite. She was sitting on a pink mana-energy platform that overlooked the Capital, when she saw something just below her. It was an alley with two officers having their heads swiftly decapitated and a muscular man with murderous intent walking away. For most people, this would disturb them. However, Sunny couldn't help but feel excited about it as she watched the suspicious man walk away and the dead bodies lying in a pool of their own blood.

"Maybe it's time I join in on the fun." Sunny said with a smooth, but deadly tone. "Don't you think so, cousin?"

_(LINE BREAK)_

AAAAANNNND I'M DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER.

WOW! THAT WAS A LOT TO WRITE!

Thank you again for reading this chapter. Your support is always loved, so please be sure to review, favorite and follow as usual.

Right now this chapter is over 12,000 words, so I believe I made up for the last chapter with this one. This chapter for me was challenging, considering how much I had to cram into it and make it enjoyable. I know Ben didn't get any action, but this chapter was mainly on the base of emotional bonding than any action that was written. Like for instance, look at Tatsumi and Mine.

In the chapter 4 of the manga, those two ended up arguing with one another due to a mistake caused by Mine. However, in this chapter, Mine and Tatsumi have started to see each other in a different light sooner than they did in the manga and anime. Remember, this chapter has TatsumiXMine as a pairing, so expect more growth from them in coming chapters.

Now about Ieyasu, I actually enjoyed what I did with him. However, it wasn't originally supposed to go that way. Originally, Ieyasu would've decided on his own to go to the revolutionary army in order to train himself to overcome his mind and body for the betterment of Night Raid. However, doing a PM talk with another reader, I decided I'll have him stay for the duration of the chapter. Of course, this reader isn't aware of it, so I can say his fate is a secret until the time comes.

Now about the scene with Ben 10,000 and the Emerald Knights, there are some things I want to say. Firstly, the credit for the name "Emerald Knights" goes to Masamune X23, a reader and the beta-reader for this chapter. He/she gave the name that I used and came up with a concept which I used a bit but majorly changed to what you've read.

So about those cross-time Teigu users, I feel I should clarify their place in the different timelines.

Sayo – The one that was seen (or read) in this chapter is an alternate counterpart. She's the Sayo that I mentioned in the list of ideas for an alternate timeline story and the one currently mentioned in the poll. But if you're wondering how her story went, you won't have to be kept in the dark (read the poll results below to find out why). As for her depiction in this chapter, I can tell you she has a Teigu and has gotten into a relationship with the Ben of her world, hence the reason for her different clothes.

Cosmina – This version of her is actually not an alternate counterpart. She's actually the present Cosmina, but two years older. And if you're wondering about the regular aged Cosmina, then yes, she'll get redeemed at some point in time. Now I know this decision may not appeal to everyone, but I can assure you that (like Aria) it will be an understandable and gradual process, so trust me on this.

Mez – Originally, she was supposed to be like Cosmina. However, I changed my mind and decided that she'll be another alternate counterpart. So in her timeline, she actually switched over to Night Raid's side due to Lubbock, who she then fell love with.

Wave – Obviously from his outfit, this Wave is an alternate counterpart. He comes from a timeline where he and Tatsumi's roles are switched. In other words, he ended up joining Night Raid and having Incursio, while Tatsumi ended up joining Esdeath's group and becoming her lover.

Kurome – At first glance, it would look like she's from the present timeline, when really she's from an alternate timeline. In that timeline, she actually accepted Akame's offer to join Night Raid and fought alongside with her. Unfortunately, the Akame of her timeline got killed by Esdeath in the final fight, which in turn drove Kurome to use both Murasame and her Teigu to fight Esdeath and win.

Run – As obviously stated, Run is actually like Cosmina. He comes from the current timeline which had him and Kurome facing off against the Wild Hunt like in the manga. However, unlike that time, he was saved by the Kurome of the Emerald Knights before present Kurome could do what she did. So since then, he has been a part of the Emerald Knights and their battles in the Second Time War (or TW2, for short).

And that concludes that part of the explanation. I originally wanted to keep their status a secret due to two other members I wanted to add. However, when I thought through it, I decided to remove one of them and have the other one be recruited when the chapter comes. I don't want to foreshadow too much.

Anyway, I have some good news for ya'll. THE ULTIMATRIX WILL BE CONFIRMED IN THIS STORY FOR BEN!

Why? You may ask. Well I can't say the reason nor could I tell you how it will be. But I can say that when it arrives, you'll be very pleased about it.

Thank you once again for reading this long chapter. I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S – Satou Hamasaki is an OC. He will have some role in this fanfiction, but nothing major. However, this doesn't mean I'll be accepting any OCs from anybody else. The last time I let readers submit OCs, the fanfic ended up being incomplete due to their lack of support later on.

POLL RESULTS

What timeline would you prefer for a one-shot/two-shots?

1

The Timeline where Sayo takes Tatsumi's place, with Ben by her side?

3 60%

2

The Timeline where Kurome saves Ben and Aria?

1 20%

3

The Timeline where Sheele saves Ben and Aria, thereby turning her back on Night Raid?

1 20%

4

The Timeline where Aria is killed and Ben turns evil?

0 0%

5

The Timeline where Ben ignores Aria and uses Alien X to eradicate the world of evil people?

0.0

THE WINNER: "The Timeline which has Sayo take Tatsumi place, with Ben by her side."be


	14. The Slasher, The Hero and The Psychotic?

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you very much for your support of the previous chapter. I apologize that it was a longer than it should've been. I'll try to make sure it's not as long as it then.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

 **Chapter 14: The Slasher, The hero and…The Psychotic?**

The time was late at the Imperial Capital. During this time, the people were asleep in their homes, while a few people could be seen around the streets of the stronghold, either as the Imperial guards or just common people going about their business late at night. But lately there's been a rumor that has been going around, as it involved the death of those caused by a supposed serial killer, who right at that moment was at it again.

So currently, a body of a decapitated a young man was on the ground. It hadn't been long since it happened, mainly because it was just a minute when it did happen. And now that it did, the one responsible for it was holding the woman who had accompanied the dead man by the neck, while snickering him.

"Please…Please don't kill me!" The woman cried fearfully.

"Oh come now." The man snickered with a malicious grin. "It's your own fault for walking around at this time of night. After all, didn't your parents warn you about the scary monsters that come out after dark?"

"I'll do anything!" The woman cried out louder. She was a brunet woman and dressed in a fine commoner's dress as she was being held in the air. Along with that, she was holding on the man's arms as her tears went down her cheeks.

"Really?" The man asked maliciously.

"Yes! I will! I'll do it, so please!" The woman begged.

"And if I told you I want to see your head separated from your head? Would you be willing then?" The man asked.

Now, at this point, the woman's fate seemed sealed. The serial killer was just playing with her, messing with her and making her believe she had a chance to live. But if that wasn't obvious, it became that way when he moved his blade swiftly to her neck, ready to decapitate her like her lover.

Fortunately, something unexpected intervened. It came in the form of a green tongue, which stretched out elastically from seemingly nowhere and wrapped itself around the serial killer's arm, just as his blade was inches away from the girl's neck.

"Oh?" The man said with his sadistic smile. He saw the tongue wrapped around his arm and was curious about it. "Well this was unexpected. I guess I'm not the only one out for a good time."

The woman was frightened and confused. At one moment, the serial killer was seemingly willing to let her go, and in another moment she realized then that she would've been dead. But just as it was that way, the serial killer suddenly let go of her neck as she fell to the ground, before turning to his right as the green tongue retracted back to the shadows from which it came.

"I've met a lot of crazies…" said a mysterious deep voice. "But not as much as you."

"Oh, and you are?" The serial killer asked with a malicious grin.

"The name is Bullfrag…" answered the voice. It wasn't longer after that the person walked out of the shadows, revealing himself in the open. "And you are in for a lot of trouble." He added.

"Is that so?" The serial killer asked, now intrigued. The person before him wasn't a man or a Danger Beast. He was someone very special, much to his curiosity now.

The serial killer was right, Bullfrag wasn't human. He was a humanoid frog-like creature with a muscular body and a strange green stripe and black bodysuit. But if that wasn't enough, the creature also had three fingers on his hands, two toes on his leg and wore green sunglasses on his eyes despite that it was currently night time. And then there was the hourglass symbol on his upper chest, which was green as it glowed in the night.

However, none of that mattered to the serial killer. He was very curious and intrigued by Bullfrag that just the thought of it made him snicker a bit as his grin widened. The woman he held captive before was fun, but nothing compared to what he was seeing right before him.

Speaking of the woman, she lay on the ground with her eyes widened. The creature she saw before her was beyond anything she had ever seen in her life. But unlike the serial killer, the creature scared her so much that she could only stay there with fearful wide eyes at it.

The serial killer didn't care though; he was feeling happy at the supposed creature right in front of him.

"I believe introductions are in order then." The serial killer said with his psychotic grin. "They call me Zank the Beheader. As you can tell, I'm an expert in the beautiful art of beheading."

Bullfrag visibly scowled at the serial killer. If this lunatic was like the ones he had dealt with in his world, he would've sent a snarky remark about it then and get right into the fight. But his situation was different. He was in a world with many psychopaths and killers that had made him realize that he should take the murderer before him seriously.

So with that, Bullfrag pointed right at the serial killer with his glaring eyes behind his glasses.

"So you're the rumored psychopath that has been decapitating people huh?" Bullfrag said straightly.

"Indeed I am." Zank said with a 'grateful' tone. "So I'm guessing you're here to stop me? Good. Good. I was expecting to draw attention sooner or later. But then again, I would never have thought I would get the attention of a young man with such a powerful weapon."

"Huh?" Bullfrag questioned, clearly confused.

"HAHAHAHA!" The man laughed loudly. He was feeling excited by the thoughts he had as he stared at the alien hero before him. But if that wasn't enough, he spread out his arms by their sides and continued his laughing. "To think! So many heads I could decapitate from just one boy!"

Bullfrag now realized what Zank meant. He didn't like it, but it put him in the defense, as he then got into a fighting stance.

"So you know?" He asked firmly.

Zank nodded frantically with a crazy grin. He could see clearly right in the mind of the alien hero that he was shocked. So it went without saying that it made him pleased, especially as he puts his arms down and allowed the blades by his hands to slide out.

"You might be wondering how I know." Zank said in his own casual way. But then he suddenly laughed. It wasn't known why it was that way, nor was it revealed right away. However, when he did stop, it was when he rubbed his hand on his face, revealing his psychotic grin once more. "What am I saying? You are wondering it. I can hear it just from here."

'Wait…Does that mean?' Bullfrag asked in mind.

"Yes!" The serial killer said happily. "I can read your mind! But don't worry; I do not want your Omnitrix! I just want that pretty head of yours when you're human again! Luckily for me, you'll 'time-out' and I'll be free to relieve your body of that head of yours."

"Like hell I'll let that happen!" Bullfrag yelled angrily.

Just then, the alien hero literally leapt into action. He was sure to catch the serial killer by surprise, as he saw him standing there. But unknown to him, his action only made the man feel happier when he did approach.

"First you're going to come with a swung punch." Zank said easily.

And indeed, that was when Bullfrag did. He came at the serial killer with a swing punch, only to then find the serial killer move to his right to dodge it.

"Next, you're going to try a swift swing kick to the stomach." Zank stated again.

And, again, that was what Bullfrag did. He quickly switched to his left leg, which he then swung at Zank, who only ended up leaping back to avoid it. But just as that happened, Bullfrag leapt upwards into the air and came down for the serial killer with a foot for him.

"And then you're going to come down on me, only to then…" The serial said and paused.

The moment Bullfrag came down on him, it happened just as he expected. It was then obvious when the alien hero did eventually hit the ground, only to then find the serial killer standing a few feet away, with his feet catching a small crack on the ground.

"Use your elastic tongue to catch me while I'm off guard." The serial killer finished.

And, once again, that was just what Bullfrag did. He shot out his elastic tongue at the serial killer, just as he had said it, only to then be surprised at what happened next. Zank had moved to his right, only to then grab the alien hero's tongue just as it passed him, before tightening his grip on it with a snickering face.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Zank mocked.

However, Bullfrag couldn't say anything back. He tried pulling back to his tongue from the serial killer's grip, only to then find that impossible to do. Apparently, Zank's strength was so much better than Bullfrag that he was able to keep him the way he was now. But just when it seemed it couldn't get any worse for the teen, it did became that way when Zank wrapped his hand around the tongue and tightened his grip on it more.

So before Bullfrag knew it, he was in one of the worse painful moments in his life. Zank held his tongue in his grasp, only to then use his tongue to pull him up, over his head, and slamming his body hard on the ground. But I didn't stop there. In fact, it continued when the serial killer did it again, only this time sending him crashing down on where he once stood.

That didn't mean Zank stopped just like that, though. He was still in possession of Bullfrag's tongue, when he suddenly did the unexpected. By that, he used Bullfrag's tongue to slam his body at two buildings standing at both sides of the streets, before lifting him up in the air and slamming him down on the ground with great force.

Now, Bullfrag couldn't take the pain anymore. The impacts he had made to the ground and the walls repeatedly had brought a strain on him due to the pain. So it wasn't surprising that he groaned in pain before the hourglass symbol on his upper chest began to flash till it engulfed him in a flash of green light that changed him back to his human form, Ben Tennyson.

"Aw…men." Ben groaned. "That…really hurt."

"Ku ku…It doesn't stop there." said Zank.

In the eyes of the serial killer, Ben was defeated. He could see the boy looking beaten on the ground and enjoyed as he tried to get up. But sadly, the teen didn't get to do that, mainly because of Zank, who stood before him and lifted him off the ground by the neck, before raising his blade at the teen's neck.

"Now beg for your life." Zank said with his usual psychotic grin. "Do it and I may consider it."

"Yeah…not happening." Ben groaned. He held on to the serial killer's arm to ease the pain at his neck as he continued. "People like you will never get me to do that."

"Ku ku…Are you sure about that?" Zank asked rhetorically. "To be honest with you, I enjoy the look of fear in one's eye. It's the best part of beheading them, especially the shock they give just a second after I cut their heads off."

"Well…ain't that surprising." Ben said sarcastically. "It's such a shame I won't be a part of them."

"And why not?" The serial killer asked with his psychotic grin. "My Teigu, which you can see right on my head, allows me to predict anyone's move. That means I can know what you're thinking, see right through you and see your body movement. Isn't that great?"

"Nope…I've seen better." Ben answered and smirked.

"Oh…" Zank snickered. He could see right into what Ben was thinking. "Joke as much as you want, but you're not going anywhere. I'll have your head off its body before you can touch the Omnitrix, just like you're thinking."

"Hmph…" Ben said with a smug. "Who said anything about touching the Omnitrix."

Suddenly, the unexpected happened right there. The Omnitrix let out a whining sound and shined brightly, before engulfing its user in a flash of green light. It surprised Zank, who hadn't expected it, as he still held the teen by the neck. But then, he was swift enough to draw his blade back and sent it straight for the teen's neck, hoping to kill him off easily.

Unfortunately for him, he failed his goal. The Omnitrix was able to change Ben's body drastically to the point that when Zank's blade actually cut right through the teen's neck, it really went right through him like air. The reason for that was because, when the green light died down, Ben was in an alien form that could only be described as a ghost.

"Omnitrix failsafe protocol activated." The Omnitrix A.I stated. "Designated form: Ectonurite."

True to its words, Ben was indeed the alien it mentioned. He had a phantom/ghost-like form with a gaseous appearance and claws at his hands, while also possessing grey skin and green chains all over his body. These chains, of courses, were around his neck, and chest, as he had one eye and the Omnitrix symbol on the center chain, which was around his neck.

"Ghostfreak?" Ben questioned with a raspy voice.

Changing into an alien form wasn't the hero's choice. It was obvious by the undetermined surprised look on his face, before he then phased right out of Zank's grip almost immediately. As for the serial killer, he brought his arms back to their sides with his usual psychotic grin on his face.

"No. No. I don't like this form." Zank said in amusement. "Change back. This 'alien' of yours doesn't have a neck to cut off."

"Sure, because I so want to have my head cut off." Ghostfreak said sarcastically. He was over his surprise earlier on his transformation, as he was now facing the serial killer. "NOT!" He added.

Just then, the alien hero did something unexpected. He tightened his right fist and swung it against Zank's face with such force that the serial killer hit the ground on his back.

"I…didn't see it coming?" Zank said in mild surprise.

Ghostfreak's attack right there had happened all of a sudden. It happened before the serial killer could determine his opponents attack and before he could be certain on a way to counteract it. But since it wasn't too for him, he got back on his feet and laughed a bit in mild amusement.

"Impressive. Very impressive." Zank said in amusement. He now had his eyes on the teen hero as he continued. "You were able to catch me off guard. Now prepare to…No way."

Zank's eyes suddenly widened when he realized something. "I can't read your mind…" He said.

"Thanks for the tip, Captain obvious!" Ghostfreak exclaimed.

Just then, the alien hero sprang into action again. He flew over to Zank and delivered a swift right hook punch to the face, before following it up with a left hook punch. Then, before the serial killer knew it, Ghostfreak used both his fists to deliver an uppercut so precise and strong that it launched him a few feet into the air and hitting the ground hard.

"Hmph…" Ghostfreak said with a 'huff'. He could see the serial killer down on the ground, with a few cracks there, as he floated right before him. "Just so you know, Ghostfreak is everything your Teigu cannot predict. I don't have a physical body for you to see my muscle movement, while my mind is well...dead. So if you know what's good for you in that maze of crazy, you'll stand down. This'll be over soon."

"Ku…Ku…" Zank said in amusement. The attacks Ghostfreak had given him were effective, but not enough to keep him down. So upon him hearing the alien hero, he rose from the ground with the usual psychotic grin on his face. "Why should I give up now? I've finally found someone whose head is worth cutting off. Besides…I must meet the female assassin herself…The girl, Akame of Night Raid."

"Akame?" Ghostfreak questioned, with his eye widened. 'I know her. She's one of the girsl that's with Tatsumi and Ieyasu. But what does this psycho want with her?'

"You've met her, haven't you?" Zank asked. He still couldn't read Ghostfreak's mind, but he could determine from the look in his eye that the alien hero had met the assassin. Hence, it brought him a bit of 'joy' as he widened his grin. "Tell me, boy! How was she like? Was she after your life at every second? Did she want to cut you down just as much as I want your head? Tell me!"

Ghostfreak was silent. He had heard the serial killer's words and didn't like them in anyway. However, it got him to think about the time he met the female assassin. He remembered that the girl was indeed after his life, as she always seemed determined to kill him with her katana-based Teigu. Now it made him wonder.

'Akame…Is she really like this guy?' Ghostfreak questioned. 'No…Tatsumi and Ieyasu won't be caught dead working with someone who's close to the kind of crazy as Ogre. Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that I have to end this fight once and for all."

"Don't keep me in suspense!" Zank shouted loud. "I want to know! These voices in my head never shut up, so I always have to talk just to keep them quiet!"

'Voices in his head?' Ghostfreak questioned. 'Is that what is making him act crazy?'

"HAHA!" Zank laughed. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'll just find out myself when I meet her."

"No!" Ghostfreak yelled. He had his eye looking directly at Zank in mild determination. "I won't let you hurt anyone else again!"

Just then, the unexpected happened. Ghostfreak flew directly at Zank, who then slashed his right blade at the alien hero. But rather than been killed, Ghostfreak was able to fly pass the weapon unharmed and enter his body before the serial killer could react properly.

"Wh…What are you doing?" Zank asked. At this point, his eyes widened in mild shock.

Already, the serial killer could already feel something strange happening to his body. He didn't know what it was nor could he figure out what it could be. However, what he did know was that it made his body feel cold and tingly as it not only caused him to drop his psychotic nature, but made a strange green aura to surround his body.

"You said you heard voices, right?" Ghostfreak asked rhetorically. "Well how about I relieve you of that!"

"Huh?!" Zank's eyes widened.

Suddenly, the serial killer was in for the biggest pain of his head. He felt something tingling in his head before it suddenly sent a powerful pain unlike any he had ever felt. Hence, it made him to clutch his head with both his hands and scream, while at the same time moving about to maintain his standing. He didn't know what was going on, nor could he determine what it was. However, he did know that he was in so much pain.

Fortunately for him, the pain didn't last for long. Ghostfreak was done with whatever he did to him, as he could then be seen flying out of Zank's head, with the green aura from earlier disappearing. And since he was done, the serial killer felt a sense of relieve, before falling on his arms and knees from exhaustion.

"What…What did you just do to me?" Zank asked, panting heavily.

"Stop talking and listen." Ghostfreak said.

"Huh?" Zank questioned. He was confused by Ghostfreak's statement, as it led to him looking up at the alien hero. But just as he did that, his eyes widened when it realized what the hero meant right there and then. "The…The voices are…" He said. "They're no longer talking."

"Yup." Ghostfreak said. "I don't like you in the slightest bit, so don't think I did this for you."

"I…I see..." Zank said between panting.

At this point, the serial killer could feel his body weakening. He didn't know if it was due to Ghostfreak or because of what the alien hero did to him. However, he did know one thing and that was to smile as he looked at the alien hero for the last time.

"Thank you…" He said.

And with that, the serial killer lost his consciousness. He had a sense that the alien hero hated him and in a way couldn't blame him. However, it didn't change the fact that he felt eternally grateful to the hero, who could see the smile on his face as he was unconscious.

Now, normally, Ben would've used this chance to leave. He had saved the citizen and stopped the bad guy from causing anymore harm. However, he couldn't take his attention from the device on the serial killer's head, as it remained there on his unconscious body. So, not surprising, the alien hero made his choice. He flew down to the serial killer's body and grabbed on to the device on his head, before then turning it intangible and taking it into his hand.

"I should probably take this for safekeeping." Ghostfreak said to himself. "The last thing I need is for another psycho using this thing for evil again."

So with said, Ghostfreak made up his mind. He eyed the device in his hand for a little bit, before flying off to check on the woman. By now, he would've expected her to have run away, but he was surprised to see her still on the ground and staring at him fearfully.

"Please…Please, don't kill me." The woman whimpered.

Ghostfreak sighed. He may not look at it, but he didn't like the misconception the woman was giving him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Ghostfreak said assuredly.

However, the woman didn't seem to listen. She was scared and frightened by Ghostfreak, who in her own right was actually very scary to look at and listen. Fortunately, Ghostfreak understood this, even as he watched the woman back away from him and covered her face, before flying off to the shadow that he had come out from.

Now at this point, the alien hero could've just left. He didn't owe the woman anything, nor did he feel that she owed him anything. However, he chose instead to fly back at her and throw a blanket at her, which surprised the woman as it covered most of her body.

"Huh?" She questioned, confused.

For a brief moment, the woman was covered in the darkness caused by the blanket. She didn't know how it was possible, nor could she see anything beyond that. However, she did hear a strange sound, which was then followed by a flash of green light before she was then able to remove the blanket off her face.

Now the woman was surprised and confused. The flash of green light earlier had seemed dim from her position under the blanket since it was just that good. However, now that she had it in her arms, she didn't see the ghost-like figure from before. Instead, right before her eyes, she saw a normal human being walking away from her with a long bag strapped around his shoulder.

"Wait…" The woman called with a soft voice.

The teen did as she said. He had heard her clearly despite how low her voice was. However, he didn't bother turning to her. Instead, he remained that way with his back at her as he then heard what she said then.

"You…You were that frog and the ghost…" The woman determined easily. However, at the same time, it was clear that she was amazed by the teen. "Just who are you? Are you…a part of Night Raid?"

"No." Ben said and smirked. "I'm just a guy who's a hero because it's the right thing to do."

"The…right thing to do?" The woman questioned.

Now at this point, the woman was no longer afraid of him. She wasn't sure why she didn't feel that way; maybe it was because of the teen's action earlier or the way he had spoken. Anyway, it didn't matter that much to her, especially as the teen continued to talk.

"Yes, because that's what heroes do." Ben said confidently. "You wouldn't know that since this world doesn't seem to have that many heroes. But that's just who I am. I fight for justice, fairness and for the good of man, because being a hero isn't about fame, fortune or the publicity. It's about putting other people before yourself or what you want. It's about doing the right just because it's the right thing. It's about making a difference."

The woman was astonished to hear this. Ben Tennyson was beyond anything she had heard about. He didn't seem to be power hungry like the Imperial Arms users she had heard about, nor did he seem void of emotion like some people would be. He sounded fair, honest and likeable, just to the point that it made her wonder just who he was in the face.

Unfortunately for her, the woman didn't get to ask. She still had her eyes on him, when suddenly she and the guy heard the voices of Imperial guards heading their voice. So it wasn't too surprising for her that when she looked back at him, she saw him running off into the street until the darkness of the night covered him to the point that he couldn't be seen.

"A hero." The woman said softly. Then she smiled warmly. "Thank you…hero."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Daytime eventually came at the end of the night, with people wide awake and attending to other things. Usually, this wasn't news to anyone that was human, since it was a part of life. However, news about Zank's capture began to spread all over the Capital just to the point that even Najenda, the boss of Night Raid, had gotten word on it. So it wasn't surprising that she had her subordinates standing right before her in the conference room as she sat on her usual seat.

"Words recently reached that the serial killer has been captured by the empire." Najenda announced, "Before then, late at night, he would suddenly appear and chop off the victim's head. It's unknown how many dozens of people he killed prior to his capture."

"And three of those killed were part of the Imperial guard, right?" Tatsumi asked. "He had to be strong to do that."

"Well there's no mistaking it…" Lubbock suddenly said. "The serial killer has to be Zank the Beheader and the talk of the Capital."

Tatsumi became curious.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"You don't know?" Mine asked, looking at Tatsumi's way. "You really are a country bumpkin, huh?"

"Pardon me." Sheele suddenly said. "I don't know about him either."

Mine turned to her in response. "I think you've just forgotten, Sheele."

Just then, Tatsumi spoke up. He was still curious about the captured serial killer that has been spoken about. So it wasn't surprising that he was straightforward about it.

"So what kind of monster is he?" Tatsumi asked.

Mine smirked a bit in response. She was glad to be the one to explain the background of the serial killer.

"Zank the beheader." She began to explain. "He originally worked at the empire's greatest prison as their executioner. But because of the Prime Minster, there were many people he had the chance to execute. So day after day, again and again, he took the heads of those on their knees, pleading for their lives. It seems that after years of this, these beheadings became a nasty habit of his."

Now Tatsumi understood the background of the guy. He wasn't surprised about it though, nor did he feel anything different about it. In fact, he was almost expressionless when Mine finished her narration.

"Not strange." Tatsumi commented. "He lost a few screws with that job."

Nonetheless, Mine still continued with her explanation.

"So, executing prisoners started not to be enough for him." She said. "So he became a serial killer."

Just then, Bulat spoke up. He was in a position where his back was at the wall, with his arms crossed, when he then spoke then. "He disappeared right around the time that a detainment force was sent out to find him." He said explanatory. "Who would think he'd be in the capital?"

"What a horrible guy!" Tatsumi shouted determinedly. "It's a good thing he was found and got captured. Right, Ieyasu?"

Ieyasu nodded in agreement. He was standing next to the brown haired teen, when he had been called on. But seeing that he couldn't add anything to the conversation, he was quiet like Akame and Leone, who were both in the same room.

"Hold you horses, Tatsumi." Bulat said calmly. He stood before Tatsumi, who was surprised by his action, before he then patted him softly on the head. "Zank stole the warden's Teigu before leaving. And from there he became a serial killer. If you ran into him without a partner…you'd be in big trouble."

Tatsumi was troubled by this. However, it wasn't on what Bulat had told him. It was rather due to the older man, who was staring at Tatsumi with a 'dazzling' look as the both of them made eye contact.

'I get the feeling I'm in another kind of trouble at the moment.' Tatsumi thought to himself.

Fortunately, nothing further happened to him. Najenda had seen her subordinates explain everything to the teen, before using that moment to interject.

"Anyway…" Najenda said almost immediately. She paused for a moment to see her subordinates now looking back at her, before continuing from where she stopped. "The Imperial guard may have captured the serial killer, but the one who defeated him in combat was none other than the young man, Ben Tennyson."

The name got everyone's full attention. It wasn't to say that they weren't listening before though; everyone had been attentive since she started talking. However, the fact that the teen hero was mentioned was something that got some of them surprised.

Akame, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by the news. It was true that hearing the news was startling, as it was unexpected. However, the female assassin seemed focused as usual as she used that moment to ask a question in mind.

"Does it mean that he has joined the empire?" She asked.

"No." Najenda said calmly. "According to the eyewitness, he didn't claim to be on anyone's side, or express any ulterior motive. However, he did claim he saved the eyewitness and defeat the serial killer because it was the right to do."

"That sounds like Ben, alright." Tatsumi said calmly. "He was always doing things without any pay back in the village."

"That may be true. However, it doesn't change the fact that the young man is a liability." Najenda stated firmly.

"A liability?" Ieyasu questioned.

Just then, Mine spoke up.

"In other words, the guy's a threat." Mine stated clearly. "Think about it. He has no side with the empire or the revolution. But yet, he's a walking powerhouse that stands in the middle of everything. We'll have to eliminate him."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu found that troubling to think about. It was true that Mine had a point about Ben; however, it didn't sit well with them. It also didn't help that at some point they had been willing to fight against the teen hero doing the time he invaded the hideout's area.

Fortunately, some good news came in. It wasn't through Ieyasu or Tatsumi, but in the form of Najenda, who seemed just as focused as usual.

"We won't eliminate him." Najenda said firmly.

Now this got everyone's attention. Mine was surprised, Akame was mildly surprised, Leone was intrigued, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were shocked, Bulat was curious and Sheele was just…Sheele was just Sheele.

"At least, not in what we stand now." Najenda added. She could see the looks her subordinates were giving her, and wasn't surprised. Hence, she continued. "In a span of a few weeks, Ben Tennyson has tipped the scale of things in his favor. He started a spark of hope just yesterday and has been successful in putting the empire's highest authority at an edge even if he doesn't know it yet. So now is as good as a time as ever to recruit him to our cause."

"That sounds easier said than done, boss." Lone said with doubt. "Bulat and Tatsumi tried before and failed. So I doubt the lad would listen to us."

"I'm very much aware of that." Najenda said confidently. "However, this is something we must achieve. Ben Tennyson is a major threat, but in an alliance with us and the revolutionary army, he can not only spark the fighting spirit of millions, but be our trump card against the empire's strongest."

'Esdeath.' Lubbock determined in his mind.

The male assassin wasn't alone though. The rest of Night Raid, apart from Tatsumi and Ieyasu, had been in the assassin job for so long that they knew exactly who Najenda mentioned.

"So it's decided." Najenda stated straightforwardly. "I want to meet the young man in person and recruit him. So the next time you see him, persuade him without force to come to the hideout. It's very important now that we have the young man on our side."

"Yes, boss." Everyone acknowledged.

However, it was easier said than done. The last time most of them had faced Ben was when they ambushed the teen hero and Aria in the forest. So as much as Najenda's idea seemed good, it was a task they had a feeling won't be an easy one.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Within the Imperial capital, the ruler of the vast empire was seated in his throne room. The day seemed to always have surprises for him. One moment, he was dealing with minor matters concerning the empire and the next he was being informed that Zank the Beheader was apprehended. It was good news, to say the least, as it was well known that the serial killer was a major problem in the Capital ever since he arrived there in the first place.

However, that wasn't all that had the Emperor's attention. Zank the beheader was known to be a tough person to catch, considering his brute strength rival that of the normal Imperial Guard. But when it was found that he was found defeated, with a woman close by, the Emperor decided to take matters into his own hands.

So there the Emperor was, seated on his throne chair and looking down at the accused with his staff in hand. The Prime Minister, Honest, was standing right next to him, by his left, while General Budo stood close to the accused, Zank the Beheader, with two highly trained Imperial Guards with huge axes behind the serial killer.

Ever since Zank was captured, he had been on very strong chains. Not surprising, this made it very difficult for the serial killer to escape. The chains were heavy and short, as they made his normal movement restricted in such a way that he couldn't attempt anything on the Emperor's life. It was obvious by the huge lock around his neck, which was heavy, as two chains from both sides were extended to his wrists, which were also locked as well. As for his legs, these were also locked by two huge locks around his ankles, with the chains holding them closely by to restrict his movement.

However, that wasn't the only thing that was going on. Apparently, due to the nature of the beheader, there were a number of the Palace's guards standing by the walls, ready to defend the Emperor in case the beheader did anything unexpected.

"Zank the beheader, former executor in the highest Imperial prison." The Emperor called out boldly. "You stand accused of multiple crimes of murder. You used to terrorize, murder and separate families all in your cruel psychotic games. As such, you shall be executed in a public beheading."

General Budo was a bit taken aback by this. He agreed in some ways that the serial killer deserved such a sentence for all that he had done. However, there was a thought that held him back.

"Your Highness." General Budo called out calmly. He was facing the Emperor as he continued. "I do not wish to question your judgment on this man. However, it is important that he is kept alive, even if barely."

"Hm? Why is that?" The Emperor asked, curiously.

"He knows about the Teigu user we seek." General Budo stated boldly. "He may not have said it during his imprisonment, but he was equipped with the warden's Teigu. And upon that, it's very possible that he saw the Teigu user's true face. It would be a waste if we executed someone with valuable information."

"Oh?" The Prime Minister grinned. He stood next to the Emperor, as mentioned before, as his eyes were now on the general. "General, are you saying that you're not experienced enough to find this Teigu user?"

General Budo shot a glare at him. "No. I am well equipped to find him. However, it is…"

"Then it's already decided." The Prime Minister concluded. He was obviously mocking the general before him, as the sickening grin on his face showed it, especially as he turned to the Emperor. "Your Highness, it is very important that we show the people that we won't work with criminals. Don't you agree?"

"Indeed." The Emperor nodded firmly.

However, that didn't mean General Budo was fine with it. He could see how much the Prime Minister played in the mind of the Emperor, and didn't like it. But there wasn't anything he could do about it. He could only glare at the Prime Minister with a small growl from his throat as he silently obeyed.

But that didn't mean Zank intended to be quiet. In fact, no sooner had the judgment been made, the serial killer laughed out loud and looked up at the Emperor.

"So that's how it is." The serial killer said with a grin. "I see it now. So I wasn't the only one who was a puppet in the hands of the Prime Minister."

The Emperor took offense to that.

"What rubbish are you talking about?!" He asked.

"Oh nothing." The serial killer said calmly. He didn't have the psychotic look he was known for, nor did he hold any evil intent. Instead, he smiled casually and took in a small breathe of air and let it out. "Ah, that's a relief. To think, I would be free from the voices, all because of that young man. Now my mind is open to the truth that is right in front of me."

"So you do know the Teigu user?!" General Budo yelled angrily. He no longer had his glare at the Prime Minister. Instead, he stood right before the serial killer and looked down on him with a deadly look. "Tell us who he is now! You know his name and his face. Don't you?"

"I do." Zank admitted. "But I'm not going to reveal it to you or anyone else. The boy will reveal himself to you and the empire eventually. I can guarantee that."

"Did he say he would?" General Budo asked.

"No." Zank shook his head. "It's just a feeling."

General Budo scowled in response. Here, he thought that he would get some useful information from the serial killer. However, he could see that the man wasn't going to say anything. It was a pain, but there was nothing he could do about it except send a small glare at him and walk back to his original position.

"Take him away." The General ordered.

And so, the Imperial guards did as ordered. Zank was forced to his feet by the two Imperial guards behind him, before being shoved away to the exit door. However, for some reason, he came to a stop, which put the whole guards on edge as they readied their weapon.

"Oh, and by the way, Emperor…" The serial killer grinned as he gave the young emperor one final glance. "Before I face my execution, just know this. It's not too late to turn away from your puppeteer. That young man might just be the one to save you in time."

The Emperor felt a bit troubled by it. He tried to hide it though, by putting up a firm look. However, the Prime Minister could see that the man had an impact on him, and didn't like it.

Fortunately, the serial killer didn't do anything afterwards. The Imperial guards behind him shoved him forward, before he became compliant enough to move forward. But just for security certainty, most of the guards in the throne room followed them until finally the man was out of the large room.

"Prime Minister…" The Emperor called calmly. The thing that Zank said had him troubled, as he was now facing the very round man next to him. "Do you know what he was talking about?"

The Prime Minister sighed and looked calmly. "Do not worry about it, Your Highness. The Teigu user that he speaks of must have tampered further with his psychotic mind. You did a good thing having him executed."

"Understood." The Emperor nodded. He no longer felt a reason to be worried about the serial killer's words.

However, that wasn't to say that General Budo approved about it. He knew the Prime Minister was lying and as such, he didn't like it.

'Psychotic or not, he saw right through you, Honest.' The general thought boldly. 'Now I know I have to see this Teigu user for myself.'

_(LINE BREAK)_

"ACHOO!" Ben sneezed.

Presently, the teen hero was seated on a boulder. He had his satchel strapped to his shoulder, while he scratched his nose and sniffled in response to the sneeze.

"Odd…The weather isn't cold." Ben commented thoughtfully.

Just then, something else caught the teen's attention. It was a scream, which was similar to Aria, as a loud thud then followed it. It didn't alarm the hero though, mainly because the cause of it was happening just at his front left in the form of a training between Aria and a middle-aged man in front of her.

And from the looks of it, the blonde wasn't doing any better. The middle-aged man in front of her seemed to have bested her, as he was now standing before her while holding a wooden sword at her face. As for her own wooden sword, it had been knocked to the ground due to her failure.

"I've told you before, Goodricke." The man stated boldly. "Try to figure out your opponents moves in a fight. Don't rush it."

"Ow…I'm sorry." Aria apologized with a small strain face.

"Hmph!" The man huffed.

In the eyes of the man, he didn't care so much about Aria Goodricke. He had known her long before she had encountered Ben and long enough to know the kind of human being she had been before. However, even though he had seen that she had reformed, he felt some spite for her as he then drew back his sword and looked back at Ben calmly.

"Hey, are you doing okay, kid?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ben answered. He now had his attention on the man. "But for some reason, I've been sneezing for a while there. I hope I'm not getting a cold."

"Hmph!" The man smiled. "Maybe somebody is talking about you."

"What?" Ben questioned with a confused look. "That makes no sense, Satou."

"True." Satou chuckled. "But then again, won't it make sense? You are the talk of the Capital. Everyone by now has heard about the great hero who fought Zank the beheader."

"Yeah…" Ben said. He couldn't help but think of something else though. "By the way, what will happen to that guy?"

"You mean the serial killer?" Satou asked. "I don't know. But it's a safe bet to say that he'll be executed by the empire."

"Hmm…I see." Ben said thoughtfully.

Truth be told, the teen felt some form of sympathy for the serial killer. He had seen the mind of the man back when he had used Ghostfreak and felt sorry for the things he had to go through. However, he knew there was nothing he could do about it now. The serial killer had done many terrible things, so his fate was sealed by the hands of the empire whether he liked it or not.

Now about the man, Satou, who was before him, he could see the man standing by as Aria got back to her feet. And now that he thought about it, he began to have a flashback of the night before.

FLASHBACK

"My name is Satou Hamasaki and I'm the man who paid Night Raid to have the Goodricke family killed."

Aria gasped. The man right before her and Ben (as Swampfire) had just confessed to being the one responsible for that fateful night. It didn't seem he was afraid to do so though, as the look he was giving the blonde girl showed it despite the teen hero shielding her from him.

"So you're the one responsible for that night huh?" Swampfire asked with a straight look. The man, Satou Hamasaki, didn't seem to be lying when he had confessed. Hence, the alien hero felt direct as he continued. "Why did you do it? It's because of you many lives were taken."

"Then I guess Night Raid did their job right." Satou stated boldly. He didn't seem fazed by the fact that a plant-like creature was speaking to him. "The girl won't recognize me now, but I used to work as the chief security of the mansion. So of course I saw the sins of those monsters on a daily basis. At first, I tried not to think too much on it. But…But it became too much. Those young men and women…teenagers for that matter…They thought they were being helped by kind people, when really it was just monsters in human skin."

Aria bowed her head down from the man's glare. She knew very well that what the man said was true. However, it didn't stop the fact that it made her feel very guilty, especially as her chest felt heavy with each word he said.

Meanwhile, there was Swampfire. He had heard everything the man had said and took it well with a protective and straight look on his face. So when the man finished, he found a question on his mind that he knew he had to ask.

"So what made you get Night Raid involved?" The teen hero asked.

"Those two teenagers…" The man said subtly.

From the looks of it, something caused the man to be less his direct in his words. It was odd, but at the same time curious as it got Swampfire's peak attention when he saw the man looked down on the ground with a shadowy look on his face.

"They were so young…and yet I couldn't save them in time." The man continued to say. "I even spoke with them once…they were very funny, especially the one with spiky hair. At first, I wanted nothing to do with them…but as the day went by and I heard their story, I couldn't help but sympathize with them. Sadly, the man of the mansion noticed my wavering emotion and had me sent away on an 'errand' just to keep me away. So by the time I returned, it was too late…The girl, the boy…They were already drugged and tortured beyond saving. However, I still held hope that they could be saved…even if it was for a little bit. So I got a contact with one of Night Raid's informant and told her about them…The rest is history."

Swampfire was silent to respond. In truth, he actually sympathized with the man, even though he didn't know him. So when he saw him become silent, he dropped his guard unintentionally and stared at him with nothing else to say.

However, that didn't mean the man was done speaking. He still had his head facing the ground, when suddenly something snapped in him. Hence, he raised his head right back at the duo standing before him with a glaring look of anger at Aria.

"You're a monster! I hate you!" The man shouted out loud. "So why?! Why the hell are you still alive!? You should've died along with your parents, you wretch!"

"That's enough!" Swampfire yelled angrily.

"No!" Satou shouted back. "What are you anyway?! A monster too?! Well at least you're honest with yourself than that thing next to you! She and her family treated people lesser than them in society like they were cattle! They didn't care what the person's goals or dreams were! They just wanted to ruin it all for their own sick enjoyment!"

Swampfire was lost at what to do. He couldn't attack the man for something that was normal to feel in his condition. However, he refused to drop his guard then, especially as the man continued in his rant.

"Those two teenagers deserved better!" Satou shouted angrily. "All they wanted to do was to find their lost friends and save their village that was being taxed heavily! But they never got to do that thanks to her!"

"What…?" Swampfire questioned with a surprised look. The things Satou said right there caught him a bit off guard. However, he was able to soften up a bit as he stared at the man. "You knew Ieyasu and Sayo?"

"Yes…" Satou admitted. He was then surprised to hear that name, especially as it was from Swampfire. "You know them too?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Swampfire answered, but heavily. Now it was his turn to feel depressed. "The both of them were my friends, along with Tatsumi."

"Wait…" Satou said with widened eyes. "Are you telling me that you're...?"

"Ben." Swampfire interjected. "Yes, I am."

Just then, the Omnitrix symbol timed out. It engulfed the teen hero in a flash of green light as everything about him being a plant returned back to normal. But that wasn't to say Satou was calm about it. In fact, he was even more surprise when he saw a normal teenager with brown hair standing in place of the plant creature he had seen.

"No way…A Teigu user?" The man questioned.

However, Ben didn't specifically answer. Instead, he continued from where he stopped.

"I wish I had gotten to them on time…Maybe they wouldn't have ended the way they did now." Ben said with regret. "Sayo was already gone by the time Tatsumi and I found out, while Ieyasu was already at the edge of death…If I hadn't used one of my transformations to save him before he died, he would've been gone too."

Satou paused for a moment. He could see from his position that the regret on Ben's face and his words were honest. However, something about the whole thing bothered him to the point that he casted a small glare at the teen hero.

"Then why are you with her?" He asked straightforwardly. This time he had his finger pointed at Aria. "She did unspeakable things to your friends. So why haven't you killed her yet? She deserves to die."

"Well…that's because…"

"It's because he's a good man…" Aria interjected. "even when he shouldn't be."

Ben was surprised by her action. For the first time in a while, he turned to her with that look on his face and found her hand on his shoulder as she began to walk away from him.

"Aria, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm doing what has to be done." Aria stated boldly.

Before, the girl had been quiet during everything that had transpired. She had heard the man's rant clearly and heard Ben's feelings of the matter concerning that night. So when she felt that it was enough, she decided to intervene by speaking up and walking forward towards the man.

However, that wasn't to say Ben was fine with it. He had been surprised by her intrusion, but not enough to keep him away from doing what he felt was right. Hence, it was no surprise to him then that he grabbed on to Aria's wrist and held her firmly with a direct look on his face.

"Aria, stay away from him. He'll kill you." Ben warned her.

"I'm aware of that." Aria said softly. She didn't turn her face to Ben though, as she continued. "But you have to trust me on this. So let me go or…or else I'll never forgive you for holding me back. I need to do this on my own."

"Aria…" Ben muttered.

The teen hero was surprised by the way Aria was acting. It was true that the blonde girl had become bold for some time now. However, it was never implied to Ben that it would grow to this extent as he watched her standing there.

So as much as he hated to comply, the teen did as he was told. He let go of the blonde girl's wrist and watched her walk towards Satou, who became surprised as he fixed his eyes on her.

"Wh…What are you doing?" He asked.

Aria was silent to respond. She had heard the man perfectly well, but made no attempts to answer him. Instead, she continued her walk towards him until she was directly before him and fell on her knees with her face looking down on the ground.

"You want me dead, right?" The girl calmly asked. "Well here I am."

"What?!" Satou said in surprise.

"Aria, no!" Ben shouted in refusal. "You can't do that! You just can't! I won't allow it!"

However, the teen hero was ignored. Aria chose not to respond to him as she then continued speaking in front of Satou.

"Now that I think about it, I should thank you." Aria said sincerely. "My family and I did terrible things that can't be forgiven. If it weren't for you, I may have actually ended up taking Tatsumi and Ben's life as well."

"Hmm…" Satou said with a glaring look.

For some time now, the man had taken in the girl's words. He was mildly surprised that she had come forward before him, as something like that seemed out of character that he knew her for. However, it didn't stop him from pulling out a gun and pressing the opening of it at her forehead.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Satou said coldly. "I've seen how you and your family play the nice people card. You can't fool me. But while we're at it, do you really think you can atone for your sins by burning your home and the shed? You disgust me."

Ben gritted his teeth in heavy annoyance. The way Satou spoke to Aria really made him want to rush at him and beat him up. However, he could see from Aria's predicament that he was powerless to stop what may be her last end.

Fortunately, Aria didn't seem as suicidal as she appeared. She was aware of the gun being pressed directly at her forehead and was calm about it as she responded to the guy.

"I can never atone for my sins." Aria admitted sincerely. "Also, I won't lie to you. I know that I'm responsible for the lives I tortured and killed, and I'm aware that none of that will change with any good deeds or a fake act of innocence…But if you don't believe me…then fine…I won't blame you. But before you can pull that trigger on him, I just want to say that I'm so sorry for the things we made you go through…and also…if you let me live, I want to do something positive with myself for once before I face the consequences of the crimes I committed. I want to become stronger so people that are like me in those days will never hurt others again."

Now it was decision-making time. Satou Hamasaki was still in possession of his gun, while Aria became silent. He knew he had the perfect chance to eliminate the last of the Goodricke family, as such an act would avenge the innocent lives that were taken. However, for some reason, he didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he removed the gun from Aria's forehead and placed it back into his coat, while still glaring at the girl.

"Come on. Get up." Satou said boldly.

Aria was a bit surprised by this, with the same for Ben. For a moment, the two of them had thought that the blonde girl's life would've been over. But upon seeing the man standing there with no weapon, the teen hero was relieved while Aria stood up and faced him directly with a confused look.

"You're not going to kill me?" Aria questioned.

"For now, no." The man stated. "I'm not entirely convinced about your 'redemption'. However, I have some questions that need to be answered. The Night Raid informant had returned the money I paid her sometime after they did the job. It got me curious and wondering…Anyway, I doubt I'll last a few seconds after with that Teigu user standing right there."

Ben said nothing back to him. He knew Satou was referring to him despite that he wasn't a Teigu user at all. But he was able to put that behind him when he saw the man turn and began to walk away.

"Come with me. You and the young man can stay at my place." Satou said.

At the same time, Ben ran to Aria side and stood right next to her. He could see from his new position that the man was slowly disappearing in the dark, before turning to Aria with a serious look on his face.

"Should we go with you?" He asked.

"Yes." Aria said with certainty.

With that said, their decision was made. Both Ben and Aria glanced at each other one more time, before running to the direction of the man. He hadn't gone off from their sight nor was he exactly walking too fast for them not to see him. As for the burning mansion of the Goodricke family and its former terror filled shed, both places could be seen burning from afar as the smoke from them grew and reached to the nightly skies.

FLASHBACK END

'…And that's how I met your mother.' Ben concluded. But then he realized something wrong and shook his head in response. 'Wait…how the hell did I get to that anyway?'

Indeed, how did the hero get to such a conclusion? He was confused about it all as the look on his face showed it when he thought about it. But seeing as it was nothing, he sighed and brought his satchel to his lap and began searching through it.

'Anyway…after that night, Aria and I stayed in that guy's house.' Ben thought in narrative mind. 'Of course, I didn't trust him…and I still don't trust him now. But he was nice enough to let us stay in his place, partly so he could watch Aria and see if she had even changed. Heck, at one point, he thought Aria was paying me or blackmailing me to keep her alive, Next thing I know he is promising to double the pay - or whatever that was about – if I left her alone. But after a bit of explaining about Aria and myself…without everything about me, of course…he decided to train Aria because he found me interesting. And no, it isn't in a homosexual way. Also…who am I narrating this to?'

Ben was a bit disturbed by the last part. For some reason, he found that he was thinking things that he wouldn't have thought so. But before he could think on the reason for it, he felt a familiar metal object in his satchel and brought it on in his hand.

"There it is." He said.

"Hey, what's that?" asked a familiar male voice.

"This?" Ben questioned and raised the object. The person that had spoken to him was Satou, who was now heading towards him with Aria right behind him.

So with that, Ben revealed the object as he held it in his hand. "This is that serial killer's Teigu." He said.

"Zank the beheader?" Satou questioned. He was mildly surprised by the object in the teen's hand, as it was indeed the headpiece of the known serial killer.

"Yup." Ben said in response.

Just then, an idea came to the teen hero. The Teigu in his hand had been used for evil in ways that he would never had thought. But seeing as he was in possession of it, he looked over to Aria, who was now next to Satou, and threw it over to her.

"Aria, heads up." He said.

"Huh?" Aria responded confused.

The blonde was then surprised at what happened next. She saw the Teigu been thrown over to her, before opening her hands and catching it just in time.

"Uh…why are you giving me this to me?" She asked.

"I want you to try it on." Ben answered casually. "I figured since you want to help me fight against the evil of the empire that it'll benefit us both if you have a Teigu. After all, Night Raid has Teigu users and that General Esdeath is a Teigu user, right?"

"Hmm….you do have a point there." Satou stated with a serious look. "However, I don't approve of her using a Teigu."

"Oh come on." Ben said back at the man. "I know you hate the girl, but –"

"It's not because of that." Satou interjected. He knew very well on what the hero was trying to say, before then turning over to Aria. "A Teigu is dangerous, both to the people around it and the person who tries to wield it. It has to be compatible with a person in order for it to be used or else it might have some…side-effects."

"Wait, what?!" Aria's eyes widened.

"Well that sounds bad." Ben said with a down tone. But then he got down from the boulder and became a bit chirpy all of a sudden. "Now let's give it a try."

''Y-You're kidding, right?" Aria asked with a fearful look.

"Nope." Ben answered easily.

However, that didn't mean the blonde girl was fine with it. At first, she thought about speaking out against it, only to then find that to be too late. Ben had already closed the distance between him and her and had the Teigu strapped around her head.

"Relax, I got this." Ben said assuredly. "If anything happens, I'll pull it right off."

"O-Oh okay." Aria said hesitantly.

Up to this point, the blonde girl had learned to trust Ben. He had been there for her ever since she was still psychotic and had stood for her since the time she changed. However, it didn't ease her any less as she felt the Teigu around her head, with its central part, the huge eyepiece, around her forehead.

"Now calm down, Aria." Ben said softly. "I need you to close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then try to think about the Teigu and what you want it to do."

"Oh…okay, Ben." Aria said softly.

The blonde girl then did most of the things she was told. She closed her eyes and took a few breathing exercises until she found her heartbeat relax. However, a thought then came to her once she accomplished the first part.

"So what should I make the Teigu do?" She asked.

"Hmm." Ben hummed. He paused for a moment to consider what Aria could do until his mind got into something. "Oh yeah." He said brightly. "Try to read my mind. That's what Zank did in our fight."

"Okay…I'll try." Aria said.

So with that, Aria went to work. She began to focus on what Ben told her, while the hero and Satou watched her stand there quietly. Fortunately, some good results came when the eyepiece, which was in the shape of an eye, opened up and glowed.

"It worked." Satou said in mild astonishment. Then he turned to the Omnitrix user. "I didn't think your tip would help out."

"Of course it would." Ben said with a smug. "It's kind of how I used the…creatures in my watch years ago."

"I see." Satou said in mild impressiveness.

However, the moment didn't call for him to focus on that. It instead called on both Ben and Satou facing the blonde girl again as she continued standing there quietly.

"Good work, Aria." Ben said to the girl. "Can you hear what I'm thinking?"

"Uh…no." Aria answered and shook her head.

"Huh." Ben said with mild disappointment. "Well…open your eyes first and concentrate on me. Maybe you'll get something."

"Um…okay." Aria said back.

So with that, the blonde girl did as she was told. She slowly opened her eyes, while keeping her mind focused on the thing Ben said, before witnessing what would then surprise her. It wasn't the thought of reading Ben's mind, but seeing him standing before her in his underwear only.

"Oh…my gosh." Aria said with widened eyes.

"Aria, are you doing okay?" Ben asked her. For some reason, the blonde was acting odd.

There was a good reason for that, though. Aria was normally the one to be self-composed in normal circumstances. However, because of the Teigu's influence, she was seeing the teen hero in nothing but his underwear.

But then there was more to it. Aria could see Ben's closely muscular body and feel her cheeks beginning to heat up. But if that wasn't enough, it made her remember the time she had secretly felt the teen's chest when he was sleeping and think on how hard his chest and stomach had felt.

'No! I can't be thinking of that!' Aria told herself.

And so, Aria did what she could do. She looked away from Ben by turning to her other side with the intention of clearing her mind. However, that was easier said than done when her eyes landed on Satou Hamasaki, who was giving her a small glare as she noticed a difference in him too.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Satou asked firmly.

However, Aria said nothing. She was staring at the bigger man, who, like Ben, was almost entirely exposed right in front of her. That meant that everything, from his muscular body to his underwear was exposed right in front of the young woman.

"Hey! Aria!" Ben shouted.

At this point now, the teen hero was worried. Aria was acting strange and not listening to him despite how much he tried reaching to her. So when he saw he failed again, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back to him, where he then looked at her directly.

"Aria, speak to me!" He shouted.

However, the only response he got was stammering. Aria was still there, but her mind was on something else. It also didn't help that the moment Ben turned to her that she unintentionally looked down and saw his underwear disappear right before her eyes.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Aria screamed.

The blonde girl couldn't take it anymore. She had seen something that she never hoped she would see in her current young age. Hence, out of shock and embarrassment, she pushed Ben away from her and walked backwards. But then something weird tingled in her mind and immediately caused her to black out and fall to the ground instantly.

"Aria!" Ben shouted in shock.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Time went on in its usual pace before it became nighttime. The people of the Imperial Capital had done their usual business, be it in poverty or in wealth, while those who just managed the day were able to survive. So when it eventually became sometime to midnight, there weren't that many people to see on the streets, except for two women walking by themselves.

"It's really late huh." said one of the women.

The woman seemed to be in her twenties. She had short brown hair and wore a purple casual dress, while carrying a basket in her hand. She also had her friend, who was also a woman, but with long blonde hair that reached her back. However, unlike her that was calm, the blonde woman was a bit scared, mainly because she was the same woman who had almost been killed by the now executed, Zank the beheader.

"We should get home. I-It's very dangerous to be here." The blonde woman said.

However, the other woman didn't seem to take her advice. She understood why her friend would be nervous though, but nonetheless smirked about it before nudging her friend playfully at the shoulder.

"Relax. My house is just around the corner." She said assuredly. "We already agreed that you'll spend the night with me. Besides, that serial killer is dead now thanks to that hero you keep mentioning."

"Y-You're right." The brunet woman said, though hesitantly.

"Anyway…" The woman continued. "I can't wait for –"

The woman was then suddenly cut off. She was talking like she normally was, when suddenly a small pink energy beam flew right through her stomach from behind. Then, before she or even her friend could react quickly, another pink bullet shot right through the back of her head, sending her to the ground dead.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" The brunet woman screamed.

For a brief moment, that was one of the only two things the woman could do. She could see her friend now lying dead in a rising pool of her own blood, but not with enough time to witness it. Why? It was because she found no one behind her when she looked back.

"No! Not again!" She shouted in total fear.

Suddenly, flashbacks of Zank the Beheader came to mind. The woman didn't know what to make of it nor could she think clearly on it. But she did know she was scared and terrified, especially as she then ran off screaming.

'I don't want to die! I can't die!' The woman thought frantically.

However, there was one problem. The fact that she did run didn't mean that she was paying attention to what was before her. Hence, she accidentally rammed into a young girl in front of her and fell to the ground on her butt.

"You should really watch where you're going." said the girl.

"Huh?" The woman questioned. She was momentarily confused at who said that until her eyes looked up at the girl before her. "You…You have to run. There's a serial killer here!"

"A serial killer?" The girl questioned and titled her head with a confused expression. "I don't see one…unless…"

Just then, the woman felt her heart sank at what she saw next. The young woman before her suddenly changed, as a malicious grin formed on her face and her eyes glowed pink.

"you must be talking about me." The girl added.

"N-No!" The brunet stuttered.

If the woman wasn't afraid before, she certainly was now. The girl who had stood in front of her with so much innocence was now staring at her with malicious intent. She didn't know why that was the case, nor did she want to stick around to stay. Hence, she got up and began to run the other way.

Unfortunately, it would seem the girl wouldn't have that. She could see the woman trying to run for her dear life, but thought nothing else of it. Hence, the moment she snapped her finger, the woman let out a loud scream as her right leg suddenly snapped and she was sent to the ground on her stomach.

"AHHH!" The woman screamed.

Now her fear really began to deepen. There was no way she could run, nor was there a way she could even escape now. But if that wasn't enough, the blonde woman turned around and saw the girl casually approaching her with a grinning face.

"S-Stay back! I-I'm warning you!" The woman shouted in fear.

"Oh really?" The girl mockingly asked.

"Y-Yes, I - AHH!"

At the last part, the woman screamed in pain. This time, however, it was the fact that her right arm snapped by 'itself' that caused her that much pain. But if that wasn't enough, the blonde woman found the girl now squatting over her with her malicious and terrifying grin staring at her face.

"Please…" The woman said with tearful eyes. "Don't kill me. I'll do anything."

"Aw, that's so cute." The girl said with a chirpy smile. "You actually think it would matter if you comply."

The woman's heart sank upon hearing that. She couldn't utter a word, nor could she even think of what to say. The girl before her had clearly stated things that she found more terrifying than what Zank the Beheader had said. But if that wasn't enough, the girl softly rubbed her cheek with her fingers and licked her own lips like she was a delicious meal.

"Oh, and just so you know…I'm not going to kill you." The girl said calmly. "No, I'm going to have fun with you…and then I'll hurt you, like really...really…bad."

The woman's eyes grew wide upon hearing that. She didn't know exactly on the intent of the girl. But it was clear that she won't be making it out of this night the same way she did before encountering her.

However, if the girl's words weren't enough, the thing she did next did. She softly grasped the breast of the blonde woman and encased her entire dress in a pink aura. Then, before the blonde woman knew it, her dress was torn into numerous tiny pieces, thereby leaving her naked on the floor with the psychotic girl right in front of her.

"Thanks for the meal." The girl grinned chirpily.

"NOOOOOO!" The woman screamed.

However, it didn't matter to Sunny, because she was going to have her way with her either way.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **Well…that became dark and…fucked up. But then again, what do you expect from Akame ga kill? It always going to fuck you up whether you like it or not.**

 **Now you may be wondering, why did I add such a scene? Well it's pretty obvious. Sunny is going to take over the role of Zank the Beheader, but in her own special way. This means that she'll encounter Tatsumi and fight him, before meeting Akame, just like the manga. Of course, Ieyasu will be involved in it too. After all, it has been long since we saw him in action.**

 **As for my other reason, I wanted to make some things clear. It's supposed to show that Ben won't be around to stop every crime that happened in the manga. I originally didn't want to go the messed up route that you just read, but I felt it was needed to stand this fanfic out from any other fanfic. So in other words, expect things like this to happen in future chapters.**

 **So about the next chapter, expect things there to be a lot of action and a few dark elements (although there won't be intent rape like this chapter). I'm not saying it'll be that way from now on, but I am saying that, with Sunny involved, it'll not be easy for everyone that comes across her. After all, I'm basing her off from two of anime's most psychotic girls. And the fact that she's an Anodite, just doesn't make it any better.**

 **Now about Zank the Beheader, did you like what I did there? Originally, he was going to escape the fight with Ben and meet Tatsumi and fight him like in the manga until Sunny comes in and 'saves' Tatsumi. But then, I decided to have that idea scrapped and have him partially 'redeemed' to prove how much Ben will affect the Akame ga kill world. Besides, I thought Sunny being the central villain in Zank's place would be better.**

 **And to those who may be wondering about Aria, yes she's fine. I was going to extend that scene with her and show her getting better, with Satou explaining his past, but decided to take that to the next chapter. The reason for that is because this chapter is (once again) pretty long (sorry).**

 **Well that's all for now, everyone. Please be sure to favorite, follow and review to show your support. It helps in updating this fanfic. Bye!**

 **P.S. Since Sayo won the poll that I made, I'll get to work on that fanfic sometime later this month. Bye**


	15. The hospital, Night Raid acts and BW?

Hello everyone! Welcome, once again, to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you so much for reviewing. Your reviews always give me the strength to continue this fanfic, so please keep it up.

Anyway, in the previous chapter, I noticed how long the chapter was. So now that I've acknowledged that it can be a turnoff to some readers, I've decided to keep some chapters to a reasonable amount.

Also, I want to give some credit for this chapter and the previous one to MasamuneX23. He has been a great beta-reader, so be sure to thank him for the proofread work here and in the other chapter.

Now on with the chapter!

 **Chapter 15: The hospital, Night Raid moves out and…The Black Widow?**

Within the room of a hospital, a brunette woman lay on a bed. She had been a victim of a terrible person, who had done so much to her body in more ways than one would imagine. Hence, her eyes were gone and covered by a white cloth, while her arm was covered in a medical cast since it was broken. At the same time, her mid-section was covered in some bandages while her private area was covered by the bed covers.

For some time now, the woman had been in that terrible condition. It wasn't known on what she was thinking, nor was there any indication of it. She just seemed quiet with no expression on her face until she heard the door open and close, like someone had inside.

"Who's there?" The woman asked. Her voice sounded pitiful and at the same time scared as she tilted her head to where she heard the door.

"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." said a familiar male voice.

The brunet woman was surprised. She knew that voice very well, as it immediately brought an expression of shock on her face. In fact, if she still had her eyes, she certainly would've widened them.

"It's you…The hero." The woman said.

"Yeah, it's me." The young man replied.

Right before him, Ben Tennyson was silently disturbed at what he was seeing. He could see the terrible state the woman was in and could feel the dread in him slowly rising as he took in the sight. He had seen people in beat up shapes before, but not in a way that a complete psychopath could do.

However, there wasn't time to think on that. The reason for that was because of the woman, who then spoke up at that moment.

"Why…" She asked. "Why didn't you come to save me again?"

Ben was silent to say. He knew the reason was because he wasn't in the Capital at the time. But at the same time, he knew that saying such won't ease the woman's worries. So rather than staying quiet, he took a seat on a wooden chair next to her and held his hands together.

"I'm so sorry." Ben apologized with sympathy. "I didn't think something like this would happen."

"I…see." The woman worded out.

"But, I can tell you this." Ben continued, this time with his words becoming bold. "Whoever that did this to you, I'll find them and make sure he doesn't get away with it."

"It wasn't a man." The woman said.

"Huh?" Ben questioned, slightly surprised. "So it was a girl?"

"Yes." The woman said. However, her tone seemed scared as she said it and continued. "I…I don't know why, but I can't remember her face exactly…I know she wore purple frame glasses and had black hair, but that's about it."

"I see." Ben replied.

The teen hero was now thoughtful on what he was told. It was obvious by the sudden change on his face as he then stared at the floor.

" _That's basically what she told the authorities…"_ Ben thought deeply. " _I guess I shouldn't have counted on it being so easy to –"_

"Wait…there was another thing." The woman unintentionally interjected.

"What? There is?" Ben questioned. He had his attention back at the woman with a curious look on his face.

"Yes…I remember." The woman confirmed with a nod. However, it was easier said than done as she then seemed clearly disturbed. "I…I remember a strange pink light…She made it with her hand…It covered her hand…and with it she made these strange tentacles with the pink light…Then she…She then used to…"

"Wait!" Ben interjected. The teen was now serious. "I need to know something. By any chance did she have a cat face design on her shirt?"

"Um…now that you mentioned it…She did." The woman answered.

Ben's eyes widened a bit in response. There was no denying it in his mind that the knots were typing together. But just as that look came, a serious look took over before he then stood back on his feet.

"Do you know something?" The woman asked.

"Yeah…I do." Ben answered. "Try not to stress yourself; you've been through so much. I'll handle her myself."

The woman smiled. "Thank you. But can you do me a favor?"

"Huh?" Ben questioned.

"Please…kill her." The woman stated. "She killed my best friend. I want revenge."

Ben was silent to reply immediately. It was obvious by the woman's tone that she won't want a softer response from him. Fortunately, he was able to think of a response despite being so subtle about it.

"I will do what I must." Ben replied.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Outside the hospital, Ben stepped out of the building. He had finished his talk with the female victim and was quiet about it as he made his way to Aria, who was standing close by as she saw him coming. But nothing was said then until the teen hero passed her, with her following by his side.

"Found anything, Ben?" Aria asked.

"Yes, I did." Ben said with a serious tone. "I know who the serial killer is. It's my cousin, Sunny."

"Sunny?" Aria asked, confused and surprised. "You never mentioned her."

"There's a lot I haven't told you." Ben replied straightly. "I certainly wasn't counting on her to show up in this world of all places."

"Okay…So I'm guessing she's from your world then." Aria said.

"Yes, but worse." Ben said. "She's an alien."

"An alien?" Aria questioned with mild shock. "By alien…you mean those creatures from space, right? Then how is she your cousin?"

"It's…It's a long story, Aria." Ben said. "Right now, we should get away from the crowd. From there we should meet up with Satou and let him know that the serial killer will strike tonight."

"Tonight? Why would you think that?"

"It's just a hunch." Ben stated boldly. "A very strong hunch."

Aria said nothing back. She didn't know in detail on Ben's connection with the serial killer. But she did know one thing and it was the fact that whoever Sunny was, she was a force not to be reckoned with.

However, unknown to the duo, both of them passed an armored covered man. He was a man that was well respected by the Capital, just by the obvious looks of passersby as he made his way through the street. He was the Grand General of the Capital, General Budo, and was making his way to inquire about last night's incident.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Every member of Night Raid was assembled in the conference room. It was at some time in the afternoon, as Najenda was seated at her usual seat before everyone with her eye directly at them with an objective in mind.

"Our next target is the Black Widow." Najenda announced. "Prior to her latest attack on a woman, it has been confirmed that she's responsible for the random deaths of thugs, thieves and any lowlife shady person in the Capital. The only reason this is coming into light now is because of the execution of Zank the Beheader."

"That's not good." Tatsumi commented with a serious look on his face. "The Capital just seems to be filled with more crazy people than I thought."

"I'm with Tatsumi." Ieyasu agreed. "Why is this serial killer called the Black Widow anyway?"

"The name Black Widow is the name the Capital has deemed her." Najenda stated. "I don't agree with giving these vial monsters something with names, but it makes explanations easier. The name was because she has avoided capture while at the same time luring her preys into a trap, like a black widow spider would do. At the same time, the only identification given by the victim was her purple frame glasses and her black hair."

"That makes sense." Tatsumi commented.

"We have to get her." Ieyasu stated. He then followed this with his fist pounded into his open hand. "We can't let Ben bag this one."

"Stupid." Mine suddenly said at him. She seemed to be staring at him with annoyance. "Take that attitude with you and you'll be dead."

"Hey! Who asked you?!" Ieyasu yelled angrily.

"She's right, Ieyasu." Bulat spoke up. He was standing at his usual position with a serious look on her face. "Unlike Zank, we don't know about the Teigu she has."

"Huh? Really?" Tatsumi questioned. He was clearly surprised, by the look on his face, as his friend, Ieyasu, shared the same as they stared at him.

"That is correct." Najenda confirmed. She was able to get everyone's attention upon saying this, before then continuing. "You each will be in groups and search the Capital tonight. Be vigilant and don't try to fight the serial killer on your own. She might be more dangerous than you would think."

Everyone nodded in unison. They knew best to take in the boss's words, as they clearly meant a lot to them. Besides, they didn't know it yet, but Najenda's warning would be backed up by the threat that they would soon be facing.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Just as the day had taken the sky, so did the night as it took its place. The Capital had been bustling with news about the serial killer until the time when it became late at night. Hence, it wasn't surprising to find the street deserted of mostly civilians since it was obviously be out at night

However, there were some people that didn't take in the sense of danger. In fact, if anything, they were prepared for the one responsible for the tense feeling. So it wasn't surprising that Akame, Ieyasu and Tatsumi were walking the streets respectively, with the female assassin putting down a paper as she led them.

"Our search area is down this way." Akame said calmly.

Ieyasu nodded. He was right behind the female assassin, with his best friend behind him as he seemed to be looking around.

"Seems like the people of the Capital are too scared to come out at night anymore." Tatsumi said observantly.

Ieyasu nodded in agreement. "Yeah. They don't know how easy it would be to –"

Suddenly, the male assassin was caught off. It wasn't due to an unexpected attack, but actually because of Akame who covered his mouth with her hand and pulled him behind a building, with Tatsumi following suit by her pull. Then, before the two could then ask the reason for her action, the answer became clear when two Imperial officers ran off in front of the path they had been on.

"It's the Capital's city guards." Akame stated quietly. "Even these guys have shown up…We need to be careful."

Indeed, the female assassin was right. The Capital's guards could be seen on the streets, dispatching each other to various places due to the likely threat of the serial killer. Fortunately, the ones that Akame and the male assassins had seen before had run off, hence allowing them to walk out again freely. But it wasn't long after that a thought came to Tatsumi's mind.

"Hey, Akame." Tatsumi called. "Can I ask you something before we start the search?"

Ieyasu was mildly surprised to hear his friend's question. He couldn't think of what it was nor could he figure out a hint to it. However, even though it was attention grabbing, Akame got the wrong idea as she turned to him sideways.

"Don't worry. I brought snacks." The female assassin assured.

"That isn't what I wanted to ask." Tatsumi stated.

Now Akame was intrigued to hear him. It didn't make her to turn fully to him, but it did make her keep her attention on him as he then brought up what was on his mind.

"It's about Ben." Tatsumi said. "I know this may seem sudden, but…what do you think of Ben? Boss gave us an order to bring him to her. But I can't help but wonder what all of you think of it."

"What is there to think?" Akame questioned, though she sounded rhetorical. "The boss's orders are final. I will follow her no matter what."

"So you don't hold anything against Ben?" Tatsumi asked with mild concern.

"I do." Akame answered. "Ever since that night we fought him and lost, I've hoped to fight and eliminate him. He's powerful and also a threat to everyone. But since the boss has ordered that we try to convince him to come with us without force, I will hold that back and be mindful of him. I advise you do the same."

"Sure…" Tatsumi nodded.

Meanwhile, Ieyasu remained quiet. He had heard everything clearly and was in thought with what the female assassin had said. But rather than speak it out, he let those thoughts take over as he then followed Tatsumi and Akame, who were now walking away.

" _I can see why Akame would be like that."_ Ieyasu thought deeply. " _With the power Ben has, he could bring harm to a lot of people. But he hasn't done that. He helped the village and helped, Tatsumi, Sayo and I on different occasions…But then again, why would he choose Aria? It pisses me off when I think about it…Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that the Omnitrix is a powerful Teigu."_

It had only been yesterday since Ieyasu and Tatsumi had inquired on Akame and Leone to tell them about a Teigu. It happened sometime after Najenda had told them about Zank the Beheader's execution, when they had seen the chance to bring it up. Fortunately, both females were able to lecture them on the mysterious (but yet powerful) weapons known as Teigu, with the thought of the Omnitrix being one of them.

Anyway, sometime passed before Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Akame finally took a break. They had searched the area of the Capital that they've been designated to search and found nothing that had to do with the Black Widow. Hence, they were seated at the front of a closed store while drinking of some juice.

"I don't think she's coming tonight." Ieyasu said with a bored look. "And to think, I finally get to be in the action. This sucks. What do you think, Tatsumi?"

"I feel the same way." Tatsumi answered. "But either way, we have no choice but to wait patiently, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ieyasu said dryly.

Just then, something in Tatsumi got his attention. It wasn't something of high alert, mainly because it concerned the male assassin's body. Hence, he got up and put down his drink before heading off to an alley.

"Excuse me for a minute." He said.

"Taking a bathroom break huh?" Akame questioned.

Ieyasu cocked a small grin. "Maybe I should come along. After all, that Black Widow might chop off your thing."

"Shut up." Tatsumi snapped in annoyance.

However, it had no negative effect on Ieyasu. The teen just ended up laughing, much to his friend's annoyance, as he still sat next to Akame. Fortunately, he was able to get to a place in the alley and get to do his 'business'.

"Ahhh! That's good." Tatsumi sighed in relief. "Damn that Ieyasu. Getting me so annoyed and intense. There's no way the serial killer would show up now."

"Yup, you might be right." replied a female voice.

Just then, Tatsumi's eyes flew wide. The voice he heard sounded like no one he knew. So when he heard it, he looked down and found a girl with black hair and purple frame glasses already squatted down and staring at his 'little friend'.

"Wow! You got a big size!" The girl stated chirpily.

"AAAHHHHH!" Tatsumi screamed.

From the teen's point of view, everything seemed to have happened so sudden. The girl that was there seemed to have come out of nowhere. Hence, it wasn't surprising then that he backed away from her and put his thing back in his pants before zipping it closed. At the same time, the girl just calmly stood up and smiled at him nicely.

"But it isn't as big as Antonio." The girl commented with a sweet tone.

"Wh-What?!" Tatsumi panted heavily. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The girl said and innocently tilted her head. "I'm just a girl looking for a fun night."

Tatsumi was confused. He couldn't add up what she meant by that, mainly because of the shock he was going through. But then it didn't seem the girl was going to wait for him to calm down, as she could already be seen walking pass him while humming a soft song.

"I'll catch you later, cutie." She said.

Just then, Tatsumi snapped out of his shock. He could see the girl walking away, before a feeling of concern and panic took over that led him to shout out to her.

"Wait!" He shouted.

However, the girl didn't seem to listen. The male assassin didn't know if she was ignoring him or couldn't hear him. But he did know he had to rush over to her, to which he then did. Hence, it wasn't long after that he followed her to her a large clearing before then coming to a stop.

"Hey, stop! It's too dangerous!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Hmm?" The girl innocently hummed. She then followed this by turning to him and smiling at him with a nice expression. "Dangerous? What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Tatsumi asked with mild surprise. But then he shook his head and took a step forward to her before continuing. "Look, you have to go. There's a serial killer called the Black Widow and she's –"

"I don't see a serial killer." The girl interjected innocently.

Just then, something about her changed. Tatsumi didn't notice it yet, except by the sudden change of the atmosphere. But before he could question it, he felt a sudden pulse of negative energy from the girl as her innocent smile turned into a malicious grin.

"Are you talking about me?" The girl asked mischievously.

Just then, Tatsumi suddenly reacted. He didn't need to be told twice on the situation, as it was already clear before him. Hence, he drew out his sword and glared at the grinning girl before him with a serious look on his face.

"You're the serial killer. You're the Black Widow." Tatsumi stated.

"Wow, aren't you a smart one?" The girl joked. "But I guess that's to be expected from a member of Night Raid."

Tatsumi was shocked to hear her. However, he was able to keep his composure while standing in a fight stance in front of her.

"You knew we were here." Tatsumi stated.

"Knew?" The girl questioned slyly. "I've been watching you for a long time, especially you Tatsumi."

"Me?" Tatsumi asked, confused. "What do you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The girl questioned playfully.

Just then, the girl made her move. It wasn't a rush or in a way of an attack. Instead, she walked casually to Tatsumi, who immediately made a jump backwards to have some distance away from her. However, this only seemed to interest the girl more as her sly grin never seemed to cease.

"Oh, I see." The girl said calmly. "You and everyone else were warned to not fight me by their lone self. Well I guess that explains why the rest of your members are grouped into two."

Tatsumi was again surprised by her words. He tried not to show it, as it was obvious by his reaction was exciting her. However, he couldn't help but also feel worried as he turned his eyes to his sides to see if Akame and Ieyasu were coming.

"Ha! I'm right." The girl stated proudly. "I don't read minds like Zank, but I can tell by your expression that you're waiting for your friends to back you up."

Tatsumi said nothing back. Instead, he furrowed his eyes back at the girl and put up a serious look at her. However, it didn't seem to faze the girl.

"Let me guess. It's Akame and Ieyasu." She said.

Tatsumi's eyes slightly grew wide. He was trying so hard to not look shocked at the serial killer in front of her. But then, that was easier said than done considering she seemed to have him figured out.

"Oh ho!" The girl laughed. "So that isn't going to make you want to fight me, huh? That's boring, you know that. So how about I put some fire in those eyes of yours? I know the one responsible for Sayo's death."

"How do you know about Sayo?" Tatsumi asked. He now had his eyes glaring at Sunny as he still kept his stance despite the way the situation was.

"Oh, isn't that obvious?" Sunny questioned slyly. "You would think Benny would mention me at least once. But then again, I shouldn't blame him. He and I never saw eye to eye."

"Benny?" Tatsumi questioned. "Are you talking about Ben?"

"Yup." The girl nodded chirpily.

Just then, her attitude changed. It changed to her sly attitude, as it was then followed by her slowly walking towards him.

"Now then…do you want to know about Sayo's killer?" She asked.

"Shut up!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.

Finally, the male assassin snapped. He couldn't stand the way the serial killer was playing about with Sayo's name. Hence, with a swift upward swing, he sent his sword down on the girl, cutting her into two.

"Don't ever talk about Sayo like that!" He yelled angrily.

Now at this point, the teen assassin had expected that he had killed the serial killer. After all, he had attacked her suddenly and felt his blade cut right through her body. So she should be dead and lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

However, the girl proved to be something beyond Tatsumi league. It was obvious by the fact that she was still standing on her feet despite a gap that was started from her left shoulder and ended at her right hip.

However, if that wasn't surprising enough, she did something unexpected. The large cut on her easily fixed itself, much to Tatsumi shock, before she then raised her hand at his chest and shot a pink energy blast at it that sent him flying to the ground on his back.

"Wow! Now that's what I'm talking about!" The girl exclaimed excitedly.

"Tch…" Tatsumi groaned.

The shot the teen received to the chest hurt. It had come unexpected and at the same time felt hot, as evident by the burnt hole that now revealed his chest. But rather than let the pain dictate him, he struggled back to his feet and shot a serious glare at the girl.

"That's some Teigu you have there. I've never faced a user before." Tatsumi said with a confident tone. "But bring it on, I won't back down."

"Yeeeeaaaahhh..." The girl said and giggled. "For someone who's smart, you can be so dumb. But then again, your world is primitive compared to where I'm from."

Tatsumi scowled in response. "You're not making any sense."

"Oh, I am." Sunny said slyly.

" _Damn…This girl is messing with me."_ Tatsumi thought observantly. _"And to make it worse, I still don't know what her Teigu is. Maybe I can hold her off verbally until Akame and Ieyasu arrive. I'm sure we can take her down together."_

So with that, the teen assassin decided on his approach. He was still defensive about her though, as it was obvious by his stance. But he seemed certain of his idea before pushing on with it.

"Then who are you?" Tatsumi questioned. "How do you know Ben? And how do you know about Sayo and everything?"

"Hmm…Do you really want to know?" The girl questioned with her sly grin. "Don't think I'm dumb. I know you want to drag out the situation until your friends arrive. But I guess I can fill you in on some things. It'll be so much fun seeing your reaction."

Tatsumi said nothing back. He was mildly surprised that the girl knew his plan. But at the same time, he was unshaken by her attitude before she then spoke up again.

"The name is Sunny…Sunny Tennyson and I'm actually Benny's cousin." The girl stated.

"Ben's cousin? No way!" Tatsumi refused angrily. "Ben would never have someone like you as a family."

"Are you sure about that?" Sunny questioned amusedly. "You've only known Ben for some weeks now. And even then you barely know anything about him and his little Omnitrix. But if you don't believe me, then go ahead and don't. I'm actually the bad egg of the family, so I'm barely mentioned."

"Then why are you here?" Tatsumi asked. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he should believe Sunny in the slightest. But seeing that she wasn't attacking, he knew he should wait for the rest of Night Raid to come.

"I've already told you." Sunny stated. "I'm just a girl that's looking for a fun night."

"By killing innocent people?" Tatsumi questioned with mild anger.

"Innocent? How would you know that?" Sunny questioned rhetorically. She was enjoying the reaction she was getting from Tatsumi as she then continued. "I only killed thugs, rapists and the worse lowlifes. But if you're talking about the brunet lady, I guess I went overboard. I have no regrets though. She was a nice treat if you get what I mean."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth. The nonchalant way Sunny was acting was getting on his nerves. It was like she wanted to get him fired up and attack her. But, fortunately, he was able to hold the urge back as he stood there glaring at her with emotional restraint.

However, that didn't mean Sunny was going to back down. In fact, if anything, she could see she was getting on his nerves and liked it.

"By the way, Tatsumi, do you want to know who killed Sayo?" Sunny asked.

"Don't say her name!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Aria and her family killed her! Ieyasu saw it!"

"True." Sunny said nonchalantly. "That girl did kill her. But do you know how that really came to be? Maybe in some different timeline, her death was fully in the hands of the girl. But I can assure you that I'm the one to blame for it."

"You're talking crazy!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Am I?" Sunny giggled. "Well I won't lie to you; I am crazy in the head. But believe me, human, Sayo's death and your friend's suffering was because of me. I was there before you guys were ambushed by those bandits and I'm the one who prevented Ben from being there on time."

Tatsumi was silent to say anything. It wasn't due to shock, but rather because he was feeling less restraint to the serial killer before him. He couldn't believe what she was saying. But then again, Sunny noticed this by the seemingly stiff look on his face and continued.

"Did Ben ever mention about going to a lake?" She asked.

Tatsumi's eyes widened.

FLASHBACK

Ben and Tatsumi were seated at the living room of the Goodricke family. There, Aria's father, mother and the girl herself were seated at their respective positions as they heard Tatsumi's narration about the trouble he and his friends had gone through.

"So well…" Tatsumi continued. "We left in high spirits kind of like that. After that, we were attacked by night bandits and got separated."

"Oh dear." Aria's mother gasped.

"Yeah, that partly was my fault." Ben said and frowned. He turned his eyes away from the family before him as the thought of the past came to mind. "I decided to head back to a lake to check out something I thought I saw. By the time I got back, I was only able to catch up with Tatsumi."

FLASHBACK END

' _No…'_ Tatsumi thought in shock. It was now obvious on his face that he was taken aback by the new revelation. "That means that you were…"

"The reason Ben turned back." Sunny concluded. She was enjoying the now present shocked look on his face as she continued. "I had just made my presence in this world, by the lake, when Ben noticed my usual pink light and went to investigate. But I already flew away before he could get there. So in other words…because I showed up, Benny wasn't there to save you guys on time. Sad, isn't it?"

Tatsumi was quiet to respond, He was no longer shocked, but rather angry as it was becoming obvious on his face. To think that all the things that happened back then was because of not only Aria, but also Sunny was something that began to piss him off. Hence, he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword, while trying to resist the urge he was feeling.

However, Sunny wasn't done with Tatsumi yet. She could see the rage building up in the teen and liked it with every second passing.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, wouldn't you, Ben, Ieyasu and Sayo still be together now?" Sunny asked amusedly. "Think about it. You four would still be with each other, having fun and being all buddy-buddy. But now Ieyasu and you are alone while Ben dumped your ass for Sayo's murderer and left Sayo for dead."

"SHUT UP!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.

For a while now, the teen assassin had endured emotionally. He had tried to endure Sunny's mockery and tried to keep down the anger building up in him. But atlas, he couldn't take it anymore. He hated Sunny so much that he jumped at her with a swing of her sword with no caution in mind.

However, Sunny was quick this time. She made a jump backwards and landed nicely on the ground with a wide grin on her face. At the same time, Tatsumi was standing on his feet again with his eyes glaring furiously at the girl.

"HAHA! Now that's the fire I was looking for!" Sunny exclaimed excitedly.

"I said shut up!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Ieyasu…Sayo…Ben. We were meant to fight together until the end!"

"The end?" Sunny questioned with amusement. "That sounds like a childish promise, if you ask me."

Tatsumi was furious upon hearing that. The way Sunny said it nonchalantly and commented on something his friends and him had stood for began to increase his nerve. Hence, with a yell, he leapt into the air and came down on Sunny with his sword. But before he could strike, the serial killer jumped back and came to a stop, with Tatsumi landing on the ground again.

However, the male assassin didn't end his assault. He already had enough to do with talking, as his mind was set on killing the serial killer before him. Hence, the moment he landed on the ground, he charged at Sunny and slashed his sword for her chest. But then the girl jumped back to avoid his sword, before ducking her upper body to avoid another slash of his sword. Then, as he brought his sword up and then sent it down on her, she spun to his side and stood with her hands behind her back.

"Miss me!" Sunny sang playfully.

Tatsumi growled in response. The way Sunny was being light of the fight was beginning to frustrate him. Hence, the moment she had said those words, the teen swiftly turned to Sunny with a push of his sword forward and watched the outcome. He had expected to succeeded, as that move was swift. But then Sunny moved her head out of the way and made a few steps to her side before facing him.

However, once again, Tatsumi didn't hesitate to strike. He turned to her again with a swing of his sword while letting out another cry. Unfortunately for him, Sunny dodged his attack again as she made a leap backwards and landed gracefully on her feet with her hands still behind her back.

"Goody! Goody!" Sunny cheered and clapped her hands. "You're so much fun, Tatsumi!"

"This isn't a game!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Stop dodging and fight me! I won't let you get away for what you've done!"

"Oh…Is that so?" Sunny questioned and maliciously grinned.

However, Tatsumi didn't respond back. The male assassin was still fueled with anger when he had spoken up. Hence, he charged at Sunny before making a straight leap at her with his sword straightforward. But then, rather than hit her, the girl suddenly disappeared in a small flash of light, which then led to Tatsumi landing on the ground angry and confused.

"Wh-Where is she?!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.

Suddenly, Sunny appeared right behind him. She had a psychotic grin on her face, as her mind now was filled with evil intent.

"I'm right here, Tatsumi." Sunny said.

Just then, the girl made her move. She made sure Tatsumi only had a few seconds to turn to her, before placing her hand softly on his left shoulder.

Now normally such a move won't be harmful. It didn't seem like she was coming at him with any force at all. However, her hand was glowing pink, which by itself held a lot of power that immediately felt like a hard impact to Tatsumi. Hence, the guy cried out in pain and fell on one knee before Sunny disappeared again.

' _Wh-What the hell was that?'_ Tatsumi thought in a mix of shock and pain. _'She patted me on the back…and yet it felt like I was struck with some kind of iron.'_

Just then, Sunny appeared before him. She stood before him without saying a word, as her malicious and psychotic face expression seemed to be doing all the talking. To her, Tatsumi was another prey, which she would be more than happy to snap at any second. Sadly, the male assassin didn't seem to realize it yet when he got back on his feet with a strained look on his face.

Now, at this point, it would've been best for the teen to realize his position… However, when he did send his sword straightforward to Sunny chest, it became very clear. He was able to pierce the girl's chest like he wanted, but it didn't seem like it fazed the girl at all. In fact, it just amused her, especially as she saw the shocked look on his face.

"Naughty boy." Sunny said slyly. "Didn't your mum tell you to not touch a lady's chest?"

Tatsumi said nothing back in response. He was trying to come to terms with what just happened right in front of it. Hence, his slow response was what gave Sunny the upper hand. She then grabbed the blade with a small grip, before engulfing it into an aura of pink energy. Then, right before Tatsumi's eyes, his blade turned into roses which then fell to the ground.

"M-My sword!" Tatsumi gasped in shock.

The male assassin was taken aback to see what just happened. The sword he had carried from the village and used on numerous fights was gone, with his hand holding the handle of it. But if that wasn't enough, Sunny poked his visible chest with her finger and sent him flying meters away before he could react.

This time, however, Tatsumi would not be able to get up easily. He was forced to bounce on the ground as he was sent flying back until his body came to a stop. It didn't excuse the pain that he was feeling there though. In fact, the teen felt terrible hurt as he now lay on the ground on his back with a pained look on his face.

' _Damn…I fell right into her trap.'_ Tatsumi thought painfully. _'I let my anger get the best of me…I have to get up.'_

And so, the teen assassin tried to. He tried to ignore the pain going off on his hurt body by trying to sit up. But just as that happened, his body was engulfed in a pink aura which suddenly caused an immense weight that caused him to fall flat on the ground with a hard strained look on his face.

"What…Why do I feel so heavy?" Tatsumi questioned.

Sunny giggled. She could see as she was walking towards him that the teen was in so much pain. Hence, she answered his question with a sweet tone.

"That's gravity." Sunny said. "And by that, I mean the gravity of the earth, but five times worse."

Tatsumi groaned in pain. He knew exactly what the crazy girl was saying and didn't like it. But it wasn't like he had any way to object to her. Besides, he could already hear Sunny approaching him further until she squatted next to his face with that psychotic sly look on her face and her fingers rubbing his cheek.

"Oh, but don't worry. I won't kill you first." Sunny said with a 'smooth' tone. "No…I need you to stay alive until I've met Akame. She's the one I want now."

"Yo…You…stay…away…from…her." Tatsumi managed to say.

"Oh, it's too late. She's already here." Sunny replied smugly.

Just then, the unexpected happened. A familiar looking katana came straight down on Sunny, who then stood up and jumped back just in time to avoid it. Then, with a leap downwards, both Akame and Ieyasu landed on the ground, with the female assassin grabbing her katana and staring at the psychotic killer before them.

"Yay! You made it!" Sunny cheered. Then she grinned madly. "Now the fun can really begin."

Akame wasn't impressed it, with the same going for Ieyasu. The both of them had searched for Tatsumi when they noticed he was gone. And now that they did, the both of them stood battle ready before the serial killer in front of them.

At the same time, Tatsumi was relieved. The gravity effect Sunny had put on him immediately ceased and gave him the moment to take in a deep breath to fill in his hurt lungs. It was then at that moment that Ieyasu turned to see him and was shocked at what saw.

"Damn, Tatsumi. You got beaten badly." Ieyasu said. "Just hold on for a while, Akame and I will take this bitch down soon."

Akame nodded silently. She didn't need to look back to know that the state Tatsumi was in was bad. Hence, she was battle ready to take on the serial killer before her, with Ieyasu by her side. The boss had given orders to fight together, after all.

"Yes, just wait here." Akame said. "We'll end this quickly and tend to your wounds."

Tatsumi was somewhat relieved to hear that. But at the same time, he was worried about the possible outcome of the battle. After all, Sunny was beyond what he had fought before, especially with the fact that she seemed to back up what she claimed. Hence, the teen struggled to sit up, but failed and fell to his side.

"Be careful, guys…" Tatsumi said cautiously. "That girl…She's not a Teigu user…She's Ben's cousin."

"His cousin?" Ieyasu questioned in surprise. The fact that he heard that from Tatsumi then made him to turn to Sunny in anger. "There's no way this bitch is his family."

"He's right." Sunny confirmed with a smile. "I'm Benny's cousin and not a Teigu user…But at the same time, I'm very special." Then she turned her attention to Akame. "By the way, you're the famous assassin, Akame of Night Raid, right? I've been looking forward to meeting you in person. I can tell we'll have lots of fun."

"Like hell I'll let that happen!" Ieyasu yelled angrily.

However, Sunny didn't seemed disturbed by him. If anything, she became mildly annoyed by his interruption by the look of disgust she then gave him. Hence, with a raise of her hand at him, a pink energy wrapped around the teen's mouth, surprising him and shutting his mouth closed.

"Geez, what's with impolite boys these days?" Sunny questioned playfully. "One moment their stabbing your chest with their sword and the next they're rude enough to interrupt. I guess this is why I always prefer to do things with girls. Am I right, Akame?"

Akame said nothing back. She had been taken aback by Sunny's move on Ieyasu, as it hadn't been expected by her. But now that she saw a sample of her power, she stood firmly in her stance with the readiness to attack. As for Ieyasu, he tried removing the pink energy thing around his mouth and failed. It was fortunate it didn't also cover his nose otherwise he would be suffocating.

' _What is this thing? It won't get off.'_ Ieyasu thought in frustration. _'I can't let Akame and this bitch fight without me. Leone and Akame already told Tatsumi and I that two Teigu users with the intent to kill can only emerge with one winner.'_

Suddenly, Sunny smirked. "I sense doubt in you, human. Maybe I should show you my true form."

"True form?" Akame asked with mild confusion.

' _What is she talking about?'_ Tatsumi thought with mixed reaction. Unlike the female assassin, he was worried about what Sunny meant.

' _Shit...That doesn't sound good.'_ Ieyasu thought frustratingly.

At this point, even though the fight hadn't begun, the tension was rising. Sunny stood mischievously before them while Akame and Ieyasu got into fighting stances in case of an attack. It didn't matter to the male assassin that his mouth was shut; he was certain that he could still fight.

However, there was a problem. Sunny didn't plan on fighting them yet. She knew she could take both of them on easily without using much of her power. Hence, she did the most unexpected thing possible. She let her entire body be covered in a pink aura, before levitating herself a few feet in the air and letting her human skin fall to the ground, much to the shock of everyone.

"Holy shit…" Tatsumi gasped with widened eyes.

The male assassin wasn't the only one to feel shocked though. Ieyasu was speechless at what he was seeing, with the same going for Akame. Sunny had once stood before them as a human being, only to then reveal a form that none of them could ever have expected.

It was now obvious to them that Sunny wasn't human. She now levitated in the air as a humanoid-shaped being with light purple color skin with long pigtail energy that symbolized her hair on her head. Along with this, her 'hair' was bright pinkish purple in color, with a glow, while she also wore a dress which composed of a mostly purple dress, except by the arms as they were black in color. At the same time, she wore long purple stockings and had pink eyes.

"What are you?" Akame asked with mild shock on her face. She didn't want to show weakness in front of the enemy. But even her stern personality could be taken by surprise at times. Hence, it pleased Sunny.

"I'm Sunny Tennyson, an Anodite." Sunny answered honestly. "I'm part of a species that come from planet deep in space, in my universe anyway. In short, you can say I'm an alien, just like the things my cousin turn into."

' _Universe?'_ Ieyasu thought.

Just then, the pink energy on his lip disappeared. It was due to Sunny's influence, as she had heard his thought and wanted to hear him.

"Yes, universe." Sunny confirmed. "I don't know if your kind has started to understand the universe, so I'll fill you in. A universe is vast and endless space filled with planets, stars and so on. I come from another universe, which Benny also comes from."

"No way…" Tatsumi gasped. The look of shock seemed long on his face as he was staring at Sunny. "That's impossible. Ben isn't like you."

"He is...sort of." Sunny said. "He just doesn't have the spark. We're related by our grandmother, who's a total joy killer and a total bitch. As for his Omnitrix, it's not one of your pathetic Teigu. It's a powerful alien device that grants him the power to turn into any alien in its disposal."

Everyone was baffled at the new information. They had each held a different concept of Ben and the world they lived in. But now as they stood there in the presence of an alien from another universe, they were completely shaken by the new information. Fortunately, Akame was always one to control her emotion as she still stood in her stance.

"Why are you telling us this?" Akame asked in a demanding tone. "My guess is you're not going to let us live after this."

Sunny giggled in response. "You're right…kind of." Then she stopped. She took the time after to fly down and reattach once again in her human skin before smirking as she stared at the trio. "I like you, Akame, so I'll let you live and enjoy the pleasuring things. As for those two, they'll die and rejoin with their dear friend, Sayo. It isn't nice to leave a friend alone, you know."

"You bitch!" Ieyasu shouted angrily. "I'll kill you!"

"Ieyasu, no!" Tatsumi shouted.

However, it was too late. The teen assassin was fueled with rage, just like Tatsumi had been before to listen. Hence, before Akame could stop him, he ran as fast as he could and leapt to the air, where he then began coming down on Sunny with his axe ready to slice her.

"Hmph." Sunny smirked.

In Ieyasu's view, he was coming down fast at Sunny. However, to the Anodite's view, he was coming down on her so slow that it was amusing. Hence, rather than let him strike her, she did nothing physically except mentally making him stop in mid-air with a pink aura all over his body.

"I…I can't move." Ieyasu stuttered.

"I know." Sunny said pleasingly. "That's the idea."

And with that came the most unexpected thing. The girl raised her finger at Ieyasu's axe and touched the blade without any harm. Then, by withdrawing that finger, she watched as the axe exploded with such force that the teen cried out in pain and hit the ground unconscious and wounded.

"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi cried out in shock.

"Relax. He's not dead…yet." Sunny said with excitement. Then she turned to Akame with that same look on her face. "Now then, do you believe you can beat me on your own or are you going to surrender and beg for my mercy?"

"I will never do that." Akame stated firmly. She wasn't afraid of the Anodite before her as she continued. "You hurt Tatsumi and Ieyasu. I'll take you down on my own."

"I'm glad you said that." Sunny said excitedly. "But just to make it a fair fight, I'll use just one finger to fight you, how about that? Do you think you're strong enough to overcome my finger?"

Akame said nothing back. She had her stern glare at Sunny as she stood in her stance. But it wasn't long after that she then charged at the Anodite, ready to strike her down.

At the same time, Sunny didn't seem fazed by her action. In fact, she grinned as she then raised her right hand's finger, with it glowing pink.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **And that's where I'll stop for now. Originally, this chapter was going to end with Akame and Ieyasu just landing on time, but I decided against it. As for the plans that came with that, I had them changed once I decided that Ieyasu should be taken down.**

 **Now to those who may want to correct me that Sunny isn't technically a Tennyson, I just want to say that she considers herself one due to a reason that will show up in the upcoming chapters. But in the case that she is and I'm wrong to have stated this, then I'm sorry.**

 **Also, you may be wondering why Sunny's Anodite form looks different. Well it's due to the fact that the Anodites in Omniverse looks different. That isn't to say I based it off her Anodite Omniverse redesign, mainly because there is none. But I did try to tie it in with the Anodite redesign of Verdona that didn't make it into the show. You can check it in the Ben 10 wiki.**

 **Anyway, before I end this author's note, I just want to say that I enjoyed finally bringing Sunny into an official debut. The cameos I gave her were good since I was having them build up to this very chapter. And now you'll get to see what Sunny is made up. She's more powerful than she was in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien in this fanfiction. So do you think she'll be able to beat Akame or will the assassin be able to outwit her? Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you once again for reading this. Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Also, be sure to favorite and follow if you have in order to be notified of more chapters. Bye!**

 **P.S. This chapter is over 8,000 words, just so you know.**


	16. Loss, Hopelessness and A Light?

Hello everyone! Welcome, once again, to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

I know I say this a lot, but I feel you guys deserve it anyway. Thank you once again for supporting this fanfic. Your reviews, favorite and liking of this fanfic motivate me to keep writing. So please keep it uuuuuppppp!

Anyway, about the brunette/blonde woman in the previous chapters (yes, they are one), I was told that the woman is actually a brunette in the anime. So yeah, I thought I should put that out as a correction. Maybe I'll get around correcting that so future readers won't get confused.

Now on with the chapter!

 **Chapter 16: Loss, Hopelessness and…A Light?**

A fight unlike any Tatsumi had seen before was about to happen right before his very eyes. He was still weak and wounded when he saw Akame speak back against Sunny and was fully aware as he saw the female assassin charge towards the female Anodite.

So it went without saying that the fight was intense. Akame indeed ran towards Sunny with impressive speed and swung her sword against her. But just as she did that, the alien serial killer defended herself with her finger, blocking it instantly.

However, Akame didn't give up. She began swinging her katana rapidly in a fast pace just to hit the girl. She swung it upwards, downwards and even sideways just to land the fatal blow on Sunny. But it was all futile, as her target blocked them all the attacks with that same finger.

Fortunately, Akame was able to stay focused. She swiftly drew back her katana with a stronger grip and sent it slashing against Sunny with stronger force. Hence, when Sunny blocked it, the brute strength of the female assassin was so strong that it sent the girl skidding backwards. But it didn't mean the alien serial killer was down.

Akame may have caught the Anodite off guard, but the fight wasn't over yet. Already, Sunny could see Akame coming for her, when suddenly she (Sunny) decided to run backwards in remarkable speed. She did it out of amusement, as the smug on her face was present as Akame chased after her, readying to strike her again.

Not surprising the fight was still intense. Tatsumi watched as Akame closed the gap between her and the Anodite and deliver the striking blow. He also watched as Sunny blocked that attack and walk backwards faster, only for Akame to chase after her and unknowingly repeat the whole same thing again and again.

' _Akame's so strong and fast…'_ Tatsumi noted in his mind. _'But can she really beat Sunny? Her Murasame is hitting Sunny by the finger with each strike and doing nothing…Just what is she?'_

Back at the fight, the clashing continued. Akame tried hitting Sunny, who would end up blocking her attacks with just one finger. But all that changed when Akame swung her katana at the girl with stronger effect. She came at Sunny again like before, when suddenly the girl swung her finger at the female assassin. Fortunately, Akame was swift to respond to it, as she swung her katana at it, which then caused a strong collision that sent both of them skidding back from each other.

However, it didn't mean either of them was willing to back down. In fact, no sooner had they stopped did they act out again. This time, both girls leapt at each other and swung their various weapon at each other, which in turn felt the flesh of their body, and led them to land on the ground on their feet, distance from each other with their backs at the other.

"ARGH!" Akame cried out.

One moment, she was standing perfectly fine. However, a sharp pain at her side suddenly caused her to cry out in pain. Hence, she fell on one knee and bit her bottom lip, while the cause of her pain revealed itself. She had been cut by the side of her abdomen, with the one responsible for it standing there and looking at her with a grin.

"I got you." Sunny sang happily.

Akame groaned in pain. She turned back at the Anodite with a glare and saw her blood dripping from the finger which the girl had used.

' _Just how…'_ Akame wondered. _'I could've sworn I cut her. She should be gasping for air from the poison.'_

Sunny giggled suddenly. She could tell easily what the female assassin was thinking without reading her mind. But rather than say it, she raised that same finger and evaporated the blood from there as a direct point to the girl.

"I may not look like it, but I'm disappointed." Sunny said amusedly. "I guess you're not as powerful as my finger or anywhere close to it. Now do us the favor and surrender. I'll play with you in a different way if you do."

Akame sent a scowl at the Anodite in response. She could already feel bitter from the alien's response as she knelt there. But rather than respond immediately, she got back on her feet and turned back to the serial killer, before stretching her katana forward in a battle stance.

"It's not over yet." Akame said strongly.

"Uh, yes it is." Sunny remarked slyly.

Just then, Tatsumi's eyes grew wide. The finger that Sunny had pointed at Akame suddenly unleashed a huge blast in a blink of the air. It came out of her tip suddenly, as the pink energy went straight for Akame in such a way that one wouldn't expect it.

"Akame, look out!" Tatsumi screamed.

However, it was too late. The pink blast reached Akame and seemingly covered her whole body entirely.

"AKAMEEEEE!" Tatsumi screamed in horror.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Sunny laughed maliciously. "Oh my! I actually did it! The great Akame of Night Raid is gone!"

Tatsumi said nothing back. His eyes were too widened from the horror at what he was seeing. He could see the very blast from Sunny had not only removed Akame from existence, but dug right through the ground like it was nothing. But if that wasn't enough, the Anodite began to rant with a psychotic grin on her face and her hands brushing her black hair.

"Ah, such a shame she couldn't live!" Sunny exclaimed happily. Then she raised her head to the sky. "And to think, I was having so much fun…Huh?"

Something suddenly caught Sunny's attention. She didn't know what it was, other than the fact that it was a dark figure in the sky. But even if she did, she was taken aback when the figure landed on the ground slashed her katana downwards from her head and through her back.

"What…How?" Sunny questioned in shock.

For a few seconds, the alien got her answer. She saw with widened eyes that her attacker was none other than Akame, who she had presumed to be dead.

"Akame, you're alive!" Tatsumi exclaimed. He was shocked and at the same time relieved.

However, the same couldn't be said for Sunny. She was seemingly frozen in shock at the presumed dead assassin right behind her. But even if she did, Akame swiftly slashed her katana across Sunny's neck, giving her another fatal blow.

Now at this point, Akame's double attacks should've worked. She had gotten the Anodite by surprise and dealt with her before she could react. But for some reason it didn't work. It just led to Sunny grinning and Akame looking shocked at the girl when she saw her head didn't fall off.

"Surprised?" Sunny asked devilishly.

However, Akame said nothing back. She could see and sense from the Anodite that something was very wrong. Hence, she made a big leap from the girl and held her katana in a ready position while trying to seem confident at the alien before her.

"How are you standing?" Akame questioned directly. "Murasame provides a one hit, one kill attack. You should be dead by its poison."

"Poison?" Sunny questioned. She then followed this with a confused tilt of her head, before returning it back to its former position with a wide grin on her face. "Ah, so that was the tingling sensation I felt!" She exclaimed.

' _So she felt it.'_ Akame thought. She was trying to seem as composed as usual before the alien without giving a hint of weakness in her.

Just then, Sunny continued. "So I'm guessing that's how your Teigu work, right?" She said. "The poison is meant to affect the blood stream and heart of a person, so it's an instant kill. But sorry to break it to you, but Anodites like myself possess nothing like that of a human. We're living life energy."

The two assassins were then baffled by what they saw. The slash made on Sunny's back was instantly healed, with the same going for her neck. Hence, it now seemed like the girl hadn't been touched at all.

"No way…" Tatsumi gasped in shock. "Does that mean...?"

Akame grimaced a bit. She didn't show it plainly, but it was what she felt when she heard the information. She didn't know what exactly Sunny was saying, but she was able to understand that it meant a bad thing for them. Hence, she immediately had her regrets.

' _This was a mistake.'_ Akame said regrettably. _'I didn't hind the boss's caution to not fight on my own. I have to find a way out of this.'_

And so, the female assassin came up with an idea. She immediately slashed her katana into the ground, which then provided a good distraction. By this, a bunch of rocks and dusts were sent flying at Sunny while Akame used the chance to run to Tatsumi and Ieyasu.

' _Now's my chance.'_ She stated determinedly. _'I have to get myself, Tatsumi and Ieyasu out of here.'_

Now, at this point, the female assassin was getting close. However, something in the ground caused her to come to a stop. She didn't know what it was, but she could tell it was something bad since the ground was shaking. Hence, when she felt something coming up, she immediately jumped back and witnessed the cause of it when it shot up into the air.

The thing she saw then was something entirely new. It was pink in nature and was long like a worm (if it was huge anyway) with no other description added to it. But if the mystery wasn't enough already, Sunny stood behind her in perfect view and a sly grin on her face, with her finger glowing pink.

Just then, the Anodite did something. She swung her finger across the air, which in turn made the pink energy thing to fly towards Akame. Fortunately, Akame was able to move out of the way while being mindful of the situation she was in. She was in a position where Sunny could have her fun with her, as obvious when she suddenly swung her finger at Akame again.

Hence, once again, Akame had to dodge for her life. She moved out of the way before the pink energy thing could hit her and then moved out of the way when it came for her. At the same time, Sunny used that glowing finger of hers to move the thing with an evil grin on her face.

"HAHAHAHAHA! DANCE MY PRETTY! DANCE!" Sunny exclaimed widely. "BUT TELL ME, CAN YOU AVOID IT WHEN I KICK IT UP A NOTCH?!"

Akame let out a scream of pain. It would appear that the alien girl had indeed done what she said. Akame was fast in her own right, but not that fast. Hence, the moment she was hit across her back, she let out a loud cry and got hit again, this time from the front. But if that wasn't enough, she was hit again and again all over her body, causing her to shout out in pain.

"AKAME!" Tatsumi shouted in fear for his friend. "Get out of there quick!"

Akame couldn't respond back. It was even unknown then if she heard the teen, as she was hit again unexpectedly. Hence, with the weight of the pain she took, she lost her footing and began to descend to the ground with Murasame hitting the ground first.

"No…" Tatsumi gasped in shock.

At the same time, Sunny widely grinned. "AND NOW FOR THE BIG FINALE!"

The energy thing the Anodite made flew in the air as usual. This time, it flew away from Akame and made a few distance from her. But just when it seemed that was enough, it suddenly went straight for Akame and hit her perfectly at the stomach before she could hit the ground. Hence, the force of it was so great that Akame cried out in pain again and was flung a few feet again, hitting the ground painfully.

"AKAME!" Tatsumi cried out.

Just then, the teen snapped. He had stayed down with his wounds and watched his friends being badly hurt. So it wasn't surprising then that he fought through all the pain to get up and charge at Sunny with a furious look on his face.

"LEAVE AKAME ALONE!" Tatsumi yelled.

At the same time, Sunny acknowledged his presence. She was facing Akame before then, as she saw her handiwork on the assassin seeming fit for her. But now that she heard the male assassin, she turned to him with a bored expression, especially when his fist came for her face.

"Huh, I almost forgot about you." Sunny said with a bored tone.

Just then, the alien girl did something again. She caught Tatsumi's wrist in what seemed to be blinding speed and cocked a sly grin that stared at his angry face. The teen was trying so hard to hit her in the face despite being so close. However, it only made Sunny to giggle.

"Angry aren't you? Try to fix that." She said.

Just then, before Tatsumi knew it, he was flung in the air a few feet. He didn't know how, other than the fact that the girl had used his own arm against him to do it. Hence, before his body hit the ground, Sunny grabbed him by the ankle and stoned him to the ground with such force that a crater was made.

Unfortunately, the Anodite wasn't done with him yet. She had an evil thought, which then made her to cover her body in a pink aura and fly up in the air some feet. Then, with that same finger still glowing, she gestured the pink energy think to her side and pointed it downwards towards Tatsumi.

"If you don't mind, I'll be taking care of Akame from now on. Goodbye!" Sunny stated evilly.

And so there was no holding her back. The pink energy thing did as it was ordered, as it then made a nosedive for Tatsumi. At the same time, the teen assassin saw it coming with a weak expression on his face as it came closer.

' _Sayo…Ieyasu…Ben…Everyone…I'm so sorry.'_ Tatsumi thought weakly.

From the looks of it, the teen's fate seemed sealed. He began to have a minor flashback of his life, from his time in the village to the point of being around Night Raid. Hence, the one regret he had was the fact that he let everyone down.

Fortunately, the teen didn't get to experience death. He was still lying on the ground when the pink energy thing came down for him. But before it could complete its descent, an armored white figure flew at it and cut it in half destroying it instantly.

"Huh...?" Tatsumi expressed in confusion.

At the same time, the figure landed on the ground. It had its back at Tatsumi, as it familiar cap shined clearly under the moonlight, before the teen assassin weakly turned to it and recognized who it was with a relieved smile.

"Bro…" He said.

Indeed, true to his eyes, it was Bulat as Incursio, the armored assassin of Night Raid. He had just saved Tatsumi in the nick of time before turning to him with a clear concern voice from him.

"Are you alright, Tatsumi?" Bulat asked.

"Yeah…Thanks to you." Tatsumi said.

However, it didn't mean the scene was well with Sunny. The girl had expected to kill Tatsumi right away so she can get to Akame and do as she pleased. But since she saw what just happened, she landed on the ground with an annoyed look on her face.

"Hey! Who called you here, you party pooper?!" Sunny yelled angrily.

"No one." Bulat said confidently. He then chose that moment to turn at the Anodite with a direct voice in him. "But I believe you have something else to worry about."

"Huh?" Sunny questioned.

Just then, the Anodite sensed something. It was faint, but at the same time getting close to her from the air. Hence, when she looked up she saw Leone in her beast mode heading straight to her with a drawn back fist.

"Who the hell are you?" Sunny asked.

"I'm…" Leone said and threw her fist down at the Anodite. At the same time, said Anodite raised her wrist to block the attack. But it didn't do much when the Teigu user made contact with it. "LEONE, YOU BITCH!"

Just then, Sunny was sent skidding back. The Anodite was surprised of the brute force the Teigu user had used. However, at the same time she was offended at the young woman.

"Who you calling a bitch?!" Sunny yelled angrily.

"You!" Leone shouted.

Just then, in what seemed like a flash, Leone came at the girl and kicked her right in the face. She was able to catch the Anodite by surprise with this move, as it was then followed with a spin kick to the face. Hence, Sunny was sent skidding backwards to a stop, with Leone running after.

"You hurt my friends! You're done here!" Leone yelled angrily.

"Oh?" Sunny smiled amusedly.

"That's right! And it ends with my fist up that grinning face of yours!"

' _Fool.'_ Sunny thought in amusement.

Just then, the Anodite decided to act. She used her glowing finger again to swing rapidly until a bunch of pink energy things (similar to the one before) shot out of the ground almost at the same time. They were targeted at Leone's area, as their advance would likely halt the female assassin.

However, Sunny's intention didn't work as planned. She was able to surprise the young woman, but only barely. This was obvious when Leone moved her head and the rest of her body away from one attack, while moving forward. Then, just as more of the pink energy things flew for her from all sides, she revealed her beastly claws and tore them into non-existence in mere seconds.

' _No way…'_ Sunny thought in shock. _'This is the first time she's seeing my attack, and yet she dodged and destroyed them?'_

Just then, Leone was directly in front of her. The Anodite was still in shock, as she had seen a feat she hadn't expected. At the same time, the female assassin drew back her beastly fist, ready to hit the Anodite with a lot of force.

"Now stay dead!" Leone yelled angrily.

And with that came the final hit. Sunny got bashed in the face with the full strength of Leone's fist, before feeling the aftermath of it. She was sent flying backwards in the air, with a loud scream escaping her mouth. Then, with her back bouncing off the ground, she tumbled continuously until her body broke through the wall of a building, which then caved on her and buried her in a pile of rocks.

"Wow…" Tatsumi said in awe and surprise. His eyes were in awe at the incredible sight he just saw. _'I knew she was strong but…I didn't know she was that strong.'_ He thought.

Right at that moment, Tatsumi's mind was fixed on Leone's feat. She had done something neither he, Ieyasu and even Akame was able to do. And upon that, she did it with such precision that it was remarkable. However, his mind was soon diverted when he heard a familiar older male voice call to him, especially when he looked up.

"Bro…" Tatsumi muttered.

Bulat had his hand stretched out to the teen. At the same time, he had Ieyasu's unconscious body on his shoulder and facing Tatsumi, who was still at the ground. But then that changed when Bulat lifted Tatsumi off the ground the back of his coat, when Ieyasu began to wake up.

"Ow…My body hurts." Ieyasu winced with a strained look.

"Easy there, Ieyasu." Bulat said calmly. "You got hurt. It's best you don't move."

"Huh…Bro?" Ieyasu questioned. If it weren't for the fact that he was hurt, he would've looked surprised.

Fortunately, the armored assassin understood. Hence, as he still held Tatsumi, he looked over to Ieyasu and replied. "Yes, it's me. Leone led me to you."

"Leone?" Tatsumi questioned.

Just then, Leone interjected. She was helping Akame to their area, as the beaten assassin's arm was around her neck for support, with the other one holding Murasame.

"Yeah, I lead him here." Leone said. "My senses went off. I didn't know why but I felt you guys were in danger. It's a good thing I arrived."

"Yes." Akame whispered. "Thank you."

Before, the female assassin had stood strong as usual. However, what remained of her was far from how she looked. Her black straight hair was now rough, while the black sailor dress she wore was now with large gashes, with her skin exposed in certain areas. And upon that, she had cuts on wounds on her skin as well.

"Damn, Akame…" Leone said with sympathy. "That girl did a number of you. Just what was her Teigu?"

"She's not a Teigu user." Tatsumi said from his position.

"She's not?" Leone questioned, surprised. The same expression went for Bulat, who was now staring at Tatsumi. However, the female assassin didn't believe him. "Tatsumi, are you sure of what you're saying?"

"I'm with Leone." Bulat said admittedly. "She was able to hurt Akame. That's only a feat that a very skilled and stronger Teigu user can do."

Just then, Akame spoke. "No…He's right. She's not a Teigu user."

Now both Bulat and Leone were surprised. They could sometimes expect Tatsumi to say absurd things, mainly due to his inexperience at things, however they couldn't feel the same for Akame. Hence, all eyes on her as she raised her head with a strained look.

"Akame, you don't have to defend Tatsumi. You're hurt and…" Leone said.

" **Actually, she's right."** A strange female voice interjected.

Just then, something unexpected happened. The voice that had spoken up instantly got their attention, as everyone then turned to the source of it. Hence, when they did, Sunny stood on the ground, a few feet away, in her Anodite form, to which Leone reacted to with a look of fear and shock.

' _That power…What is that?'_ Leone thought. _'That can't be the same person. I punched her into a concrete building.'_

" **Aw…Did you just notice?"** Sunny asked teasingly. She could see the surprised looks on everyone's face as she stood there and instantly had her human skin cover her once again. "Now this must be better. You must have those animal instincts that are telling you to run from me, right?"

Leone said nothing to her. However, her face, which stared daggering glares at the Anodite showed it well. Hence, Sunny continued. "I must say, that attack of yours was really unexpected. I was having so much fun with Tatsumi and Akame that I unintentionally paid no attention to my surroundings. Silly me."

"Cocky bitch." Leone cursed angrily. "Don't act so smug. Your Teigu won't help you when we wipe that smug face of yours."

Sunny frowned. "I see…I've been demoted to that huh?"

Just then, the Anodite did something. She raised her glowing pink hand at the group and let the energy encase Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Akame in instant. Then, before Bulat and Leone could react, the three were sent flying to the ground from their respective positions.

"Hey!" Leone yelled angrily. She was surprised at the happening, but not as much as the anger she felt towards Sunny. "Leave them out of this!"

"I did…for now." Sunny replied. "You said something that offended me. You put me in the low rank of a Teigu user…Pitiful…I can forgive those three for not knowing it. But the fact that you were told already just pisses me off. Fortunately for the both of you, I'll only use thirty percent of my current power. I fought Akame and the others with ten percent, so that should be fine."

Leone was angry to hear that. She didn't feel the instinct she felt towards the girl before, or anything related to that. But before she could speak, Bulat stood next to her and stretched his hand at her, though his eyes were at the Anodite.

"Just who are you?" He asked. "Clearly, you're not like the others."

"Hmm, I like you." Sunny smiled a bit. "Finally, someone smart enough to notice me. I'm Sunny Tennyson, by the way. My cousin is Ben Tennyson, you probably heard of him. As for what I am…well, I'm what you can call an alien from another world."

' _She's screwing with us.'_ Leone thought with annoyance.

"Now then…" Sunny continued. She had that smug back on her face as she gestured her hand at the duo. "Come and face me, Night Raid. I want to have fun with you too."

Leone gritted her teeth angrily. A part of her knew she shouldn't let herself be worked up by the girl's words. However, her animal instinct was saying otherwise to her. As for Bulat, he didn't seem agitated at all as he maintained his standing.

"So…this is all a game to you." Bulat said boldly. "You took numerous lives and hurt others. Don't you have any sympathy or shame? If you're truly Ben's cousin, you should have understood this."

"Oh, and you know him?" Sunny asked. "I was given the vibe you guys wanted him dead, considering he saved that girl, but whatever. Besides, why have sympathy for beings that are below me. I'm an Anodite, a species that are one of the most powerful in the universe. Why should I give a damn about the lowest species that ever lived?"

Bulat said nothing back. However, unlike Leone, he was able to keep his emotion in check. He had hoped that talking to her would reveal a weakness to her. However, the case didn't seem to be in there for the derange girl.

Just then, Leone snapped. She had endured the urge to attack, until that very moment. Hence, with a loud angry cry, she made a leap at Sunny, who just stood there with that usual grin on her face.

"Leone, stop!" Bulat shouted.

However, he was too late. Leone had closed the distance with Sunny, when suddenly she threw a right swing punch for the Anodite's face. She would've then gotten her, but then the girl moved spun out of the way like a ballerina and came to a stop, which was a mistake. Leone was quick enough to turn to her and deliver a swift kick at the face that then met impact.

Hence, Sunny was sent flying back. She could be seen from Bulat's and everyone else's point of view as her body was sent back. However, Leone then charged at her in amazing speed and began rapidly punching her in the face with both fists.

"People like you make me sick!" Leone yelled angrily. "You guys always think you're better than others just because of the places they were born in! That pisses me off!"

Just then, Leone threw the last punch. She did precisely at the last word she said, which in turn led to the female Anodite being sent further away. However, even then, she wasn't done with her. Hence, in a blink of the eye, Leone leapt at the girl before she could react and grabbed her by the neck tightly.

"Now eat dirt!" Leone shouted strongly.

And with, the young woman made it happened. She used up as much strength as she could build up in that hand of hers and bashed Sunny's head right into the ground. Not surprising, this caused a big shake in the ground around them, as rocks were sent flying when the contact was made.

However, the fight wasn't over yet. Leone still had something up her sleeve, though it wasn't of her own doing. So when she looked up, she immediately let go of Sunny and jumped back, just in time to see Bulat nose-diving at the girl with his spear then making contact with the ground.

Hence, the impact was impressive. Bulat had built up enough speed and strength, when his nosedive to the ground was something that amazed everyone. It singlehanded caused the whole area to shake, as a huge dust cloud was created with more rocks flying apart due to the brute force.

"Hm…We got her." Leone smirked.

However, she wasn't the only one that was impressed. She had been watched by Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Akame, as they watched from their positions despite their wounds. Hence, the look on their faces was very memorable as it was mixed with relief and satisfaction.

"Such teamwork…" Tatsumi said in awe.

Ieyasu grinned. "That showed her."

On the other hand, Akame was silent. She was impressed by the feat, even though it was clear that Leone acted ignorant. However, even that opinion changed when she noticed Bulat jumped backwards from the crater he created, and felt something was off.

' _No…It's not over.'_ Akame analyzed.

And indeed, the female assassin was right. The girl who had taken the entire blow from before could be seen rising from the then dissipating dust cloud like a person of the undead. This was obvious when she sent her upper body forward, while having her hair cover a part of her face until she climbed out of the crater with a sly grin on her face.

However, it didn't mean she wasn't a mess. Her clothes had several tears, with a few pink colored 'wounds' all over her exposed skin. This also went for her glasses, which seemed to be missing its other half, and her hair being a total mess as it was being blown by the night air. But all that changed when a pink light swept from her feet to the very tip of her hair, restoring her to her full beauty instantly.

"No way…" Leone gasped in shock.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu were also shocked. They could see from their position that the Anodite had indeed healed herself. But while that was the case, Akame was quiet as she tried to get up, only to then fall back to the ground with a small groan.

' _I…I have to help them.'_ Akame thought with determination.

Unfortunately, the female assassin couldn't muster the strength. The blows she had taken before was still having an effect on her body. Hence, her attempt to stand again also failed.

"Akame…" Tatsumi muttered with a hopeless voice.

Meanwhile, Bulat and Leone were standing on their own with the psychotic Anodite before them. They were surprised that she had survived such a blow, however not to the point of freezing. Hence, they could be seen standing firm as they glared at the girl with a wide grin on her face.

"You guys had your chances…" Sunny said suddenly. "Now…it's time to get wrecked."

Both Bulat and Leone felt some tension from hearing that. They didn't know what the female Anodite could do since it had always been them being on the offense. So when the girl's body formed a pink aura and seemingly disappeared, both were instantly confused.

"Leone, look out!" Bulat shouted.

In a few seconds, the armored assassin had spotted her. However, it was too late for the female assassin. This was because Sunny suddenly brushed past her in unexpected speed that it forced Leone to shout in pain and stumble back, with the same then going for all over her sides.

Fortunately, Leone wasn't willing to give in. She tried hitting Sunny back when she made contact with her, with a shout that followed. However, Sunny was too quick, as each push weakened the female assassin despite her best effort.

Bulat tried help though. He could see his comrade and friend being in trouble before him, so he went directly to help her. However, an unforeseen pink energy exploded right at his face, sending him flying a few feet away to the ground.

"Bulat!" Leone shouted.

However, Sunny was done with her yet. In fact, when the female assassin had turned to look at Bulat, she was then met with Sunny who was now levitating in front of her with a mad grin.

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry about him!" Sunny exclaimed.

And with, the pain became worse. Sunny didn't hold back much to bring pain to the assassin as she then unleashed a fury of punches that hit Leone at very part of her body. Then, just as it seemed that was enough, the Anodite finally stopped and flew up into the air, where she then saw Leone fall to the ground with a beaten look.

"And now to draw down the curtain on this big breasted fool!" Sunny exclaimed gleeful.

At the same time, Leone could do nothing. Her body was still yet to recover, when Sunny had gone up to the air. Hence, with her fingers pointed down in a gun formation, she shot a huge pink blast which instantly hit Leone and the ground, exploding it instantly.

"LEOOONNEEEE!" Tatsumi screamed.

However, the same couldn't be said for Akame and Ieyasu. The other two were shocked, as it was apparent on their faces. Also, it was also that they couldn't utter the word due to the sight they had seen. Hence, while it was devastating to them, Sunny was pleased with herself as she landed back on the ground with the pink aura fading away.

"Huh…Maybe I overdid it." She said with a clueless look. "I wanted to have fun and play with those pumpkins on her chest…But I guess I won't have the chance now. That was stupid."

Just then, Bulat was behind her. He had seen what had happened and was quick enough to react to it. Hence, with his spear, he drove the blade right through Sunny, from the middle of her head and all the way down, before watching as her body split in two.

Unfortunately, it wasn't in the way he would hope. Sunny was split, but her lips still formed a grin with her eyes turning to him like she wasn't mentally affected by the attack.

"I almost forgot about you." She said.

Just then, the girl's split body disappeared in a flash of pink light. Bulat didn't know how, but he was quick to turn to his back due to a sense of his surroundings. Hence, right before him, he saw Sunny standing there in her previous condition while having her arms at her hips.

Now at this point, there was one thing the armored assassin could do. He could make a leap back and get ready for the fight that was about to ensure between him and the girl. However, he never got to do this. This was because Sunny had planned ahead, and thus had two perfect clones of hers holding Bulat from both sides, much to his surprise and his then struggle.

For some reason, the clones were unmoving. Bulat tried to push them out of the way, with failure. But as that wasn't enough, two other clones restricted his arms, with his spear teleporting from his hand and into Sunny Prime's hand.

Just then, more Sunny clones appeared. They appeared some distance from Bulat though, in the form of a hexagon form, with wide grins on their faces. But just as they were silent, Sunny and her clones suddenly produced clones which would run out of their bodies and head straight for Bulat with girly laughter.

And through it all, Bulat could do nothing about it. The armored assassin was remarkably strong due to his own psychical strength and his Teigu. However, when those Sunny clones charged at him, they immediately dogged piled him despite how much he tried to strength and covered his entire body instantly. Then, with the other standing clones disappearing, the clones that were on Bulat ignited in pink light and exploded in a fury of flames.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sunny laughed maniacally.

"BROOOO!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu screamed.

Right before their eyes, they had seen it all. They had seen how Sunny had cornered him and what had happened soon after that. As for Akame, she was speechless as she watched with the others on what happened next. Once the explosion had subsided, Bulat could be seen as his normal self and falling to the ground wounded.

' _No…'_ Akame said in her mind. For a while now she had tried to hold back the tears. However, with two of her friends gone, she began to slowly cry.

Meanwhile, Sunny was living in the delight of her action. She threw Bulat's spear away without a single thought and laughed openly in the air. But then all that changed when she noticed something heading straight for her again with its fist coming for her.

"Oh?" Sunny grinned.

And then she caught that person by the neck. This was obvious when she stretched her hand out like a rubber band and pulled that person to her, though with that person not touching the ground

"So you survived that. I'm so thrilled." Sunny said gleefully.

Leone growled with daggering eyes at the Anodite. She was the one who had tried to hit Sunny by surprise and the one that was caught. But with the fact that she was held by the neck, she held on to Sunny arm with pure murdering intent in her mind.

"You killed Bulat." Leone said angrily.

"No, I didn't." Sunny replied. "But I wish I did. Sadly, his dumb armor protected him from the blast. As for you, I wonder how you survived my previous explosion. Is it possible that it's that so called Trump Card you Teigu users have? If so, I have to do something about it."

Leone growled only in response. There was no way she was going to reveal what it was. However, Sunny didn't need her to talk about it. Hence, after looking all over Leone's front, her eyes landed on the Teigu, which was the familiar belt.

"Ah, there it is." Sunny said chirpily.

"Don't you dare touch it!" Leone yelled with a strained voice.

However, Sunny didn't listen. She simply let her finger glow pink air and touched the tip of it, with shocking effect. The Teigu which had blessed Leone with her beastly form suddenly deactivated on her, hence changing her back to normal.

Akame and the others were instantly shocked.

' _She changed Leone back to normal.'_ Akame thought. Then a dreaded feeling came to her. _'Does that mean we never had a chance against her?'_

But the scene didn't stop there. In fact, it seemed to become worse when Sunny threw Leone away, with her body hitting the ground hard. Then, after that, the girl began to skip towards Akame and the others like a chirpy schoolgirl.

"Now to have fun with Akame." Sunny sang.

Tatsumi's eyes immediately stared at Akame. It would appear now that it was now the female assassin's turn to experience the dreadful act of the female Anodite again.

' _No…I can't let that happen.'_ Tatsumi thought strongly. _'I have to do something…even if it's just for a bit longer until…he comes.'_

And so, with that resolve, Tatsumi used his arms to push him up, before letting out a loud voice.

"STOOPPPP!" He shouted.

Surprisingly, Sunny did stop. She was a bit surprised that the teen had shouted towards her, especially in his state. As for Akame and Ieyasu, the both of them looked towards Tatsumi, who seemed to be staring at the Anodite with a deeply sad look on his face.

"Sunny…I won't resist you…" Tatsumi said with a defeated tone. "So please…leave Akame. You're much better than us…It's our loss."

"Hmph." Sunny grinned. "Finally, you see it my way like you all should've. Now then…" She paused and walked over to Tatsumi, who she then placed her barefoot before. "Lick my foot like the dog you are and maybe I might take you on your request."

"Tatsumi…No." Akame protested. She was shocked at the recent development, "Don't do it. Please…"

Tatsumi was silent. He could hear Akame's plea right there and could feel Ieyasu's stare on him. However, there was no turning back now. The Anodite already had her foot presented to him, so he might as well do what he had in mind. Hence, he pushed himself forward and reached his hand to Sunny's leg, while the owner giggled.

However, the thing that happened then shocked everyone. Tatsumi didn't proceed to lick her foot, but rather pushed it away with a sudden glare at her.

"I'll never bow to you!" He yelled.

Sunny was surprised. She hadn't put that much weight on her leg, as it was obvious when she stumbled back. At the same time, Tatsumi turned himself 180 degrees and took in a deep breath as he looked away to the sky.

" **B…B…Ben! Save us!"** He cried out loud. **"Sunny! Sunny is here! Your cousin is here! Are you listening to me?! I know you can hear me!"**

Akame and Ieyasu were surprised at the outcome. They didn't know what to say or what to do at that moment. But it didn't matter; Tatsumi continued anyway.

" **We were sent on a mission to kill her! But…But she's too strong for us! So please! Save us quick! She's going to kill everyone here! So save us!"**

Sunny was amused. She had gotten over her shock earlier, as she was now watching the teen assassin cry out for someone that likely won't come.

However, Tatsumi still continued. "I know you can hear me!" He cried out. **"So come please…come save us quick! You're a hero, so do the right thing…please! I'm asking you to please save us! Sunny…Sunny…she's…going to kill us. So please…I'm begging you…Ben, save us .Ben…"**

"Hmph...Don't you know, Tatsumi?" Sunny questioned devilishly. "You and your friends are under my mercy. Basically, I'm your judge, jury and open executioner. Ben is likely far from where he can hear you. So face the truth…no hero…not even Ben is going to save you. Your voice won't reach him or anyone in time."

"I…" Tatsumi tilted his head to her. "I don't believe you."

"Whatever." Sunny replied smugly. "Ben isn't coming to save you; that's a fact. You and your friends are doomed. Now…watch as I kill both Akame and Leone for your disobedience. You brought this on yourself."

Tatsumi bit his bottom lip down. He wanted so much to scream that she shouldn't do it. However, he also knew that it won't do anything now.

' _Please…No…'_ He thought hopelessly.

Sadly, his fear came to reality. Sunny stretched her glowing pink air at Akame and levitated the female assassin to Leone's side. Then, she turned to Tatsumi with a devilishly grin and said. "So do you have anything to say?"

Tatsumi said nothing back. He was trying so hard, and failing to keep his tearful emotion in check. But from the way things were looking, he was having doubt. The same was for Akame, who was now lying next to Leone, who was surprising conscious and facing her.

' _So…this is where it ends.'_ Akame thought hopelessly. _'I didn't want to think it, but…it seems like it. Sorry, Leone…Mine…Sheele…Bulat...Najenda…Ieyasu…Tatsumi…I failed you. It really is the end.'_

" **No! I refuse!"** Ieyasu cried out loud. " **I won't accept this! This isn't how things should end!"**

Once again, Sunny was amused. She shifted her sight from Tatsumi and looked to Ieyasu, who did a turn like his friend and continued from where he stopped.

" **Ben, if you're hearing us! Please…even if it's once…or just for a moment…save us!" He shouted. "I finally understand why you're hero, even when you do things we don't like! I know because…when people are beaten down into a dark place, they seek the light no matter how small or frail it is…BECAUSE THAT LIGHT MIGHT HAVE HOPE!"**

Sunny laughed in response. In her eyes, she was seeing nothing but pathetic failures. So once the teen had finished, she formed a huge energy ball of pink of mana in the air and sent it down on Leone and Akame in an instant.

"Is this hope?" Sunny said darkly. "No…this is true despair."

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were immediately frozen in shock. Their eyes were widened, while their mouths were open due to what just happened. The pink ball of mana had crushed the two female assassins in an instant, with no sight of them. And since that was the case, Sunny made the thing to disappear so she can see their remains.

 **(MUSIC: ONE PUNCH MAN – THEME SONG)**

However, everyone was then taken aback by what they saw. The crater which Sunny had created was there, however Leone and Akame weren't there. Instead, a semi-armored velociraptor on black wheels and a green could be a few feet from the crater, putting both Akame and Leone safely on the ground.

"You've really done it, Sunny." said the strange creature. "It's one thing to mess around with a mission, but once you decide to take out a life that's where I draw the line."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu were surprised. They felt some relief in their hearts, as the figure was very familiar to them.

"Is that…?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yes, it's him." Ieyasu answered. "It's Ben…"

"Tennyson." Sunny added.

And true to their eyes, it was indeed the teen hero. He was in the form of XLR8, which had been quick enough to save Akame and Leone, and now that it was done, the Omnitrix timed out and changed Ben back to normal. The teen then used that chance to turn to her.

"And what was that about me not hearing them?" Ben questioned angrily. Then he glared at Sunny. "I'm a hero, so don't underestimate me."

Sunny was unfazed by the glare. It was terrifying to see from him, but at the same time was expected. As for Tatsumi and Ieyasu, they weren't affected by it at all. And even if they were, they were then taken aback by what Ben said to them.

"Tatsumi…Ieyasu…I'm so sorry." Ben said apologetically. "I promised your village's chief that I would watch over you guys…I guess I've not been keeping to that huh."

Just then, the teen hero began to boldly walk over to Sunny. "It doesn't matter now." He said determinedly. "I heard both of you…You both were clearly calling for me…I heard it."

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu nodded. For a moment, it had seemed everything was over. But with Ben around, some hope was in them, especially as they saw him walk pass them.

"You guys and Night Raid did a good job holding out on your own. Now don't worry. I got this." Ben said encouragingly. Then with a determined face, he waved back at them. "Leave the rest to me, guys."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu smiled in unison. Somewhere in their minds knew they shouldn't be, as the fight between two powerhouses hadn't started yet. But knowing Ben, a teen with a powerful watch on his wrist, they knew he'll prevail in the end. He always had.

Meanwhile, Sunny was amused. She hadn't expected her cousin to show up, especially at that moment. But as she saw him coming, she couldn't help but have a good feeling about the incoming fight. Finally, she'll be taking on her cousin.

' _This just became interestingly fun.'_ Sunny thought evilly.

 **(SONG END)**

 **_(LINE BREAK)_**

 **The chapter ends here, but what will happen next? Will Ben triumph over Sunny or will the Anodite prove to be too much for the hero as well? I hate doing this questions stuff, but at the same time I couldn't help it. This chapter just had an impact on me. I hope it did for you guys too.**

 **Truth be told, I originally didn't think this chapter would be long. I had it thought out in different ways, such as getting Sheele and Mine involved and just having it involve Akame's fight. But then I thought of what you just read and delivered it.**

 **Now about Sunny, some of you may be surprised about her level of power here. Well don't worry, the reason behind it will be explained in the next chapter.**

 **So what did you think? Some inspiration for this chapter was from a chapter of the One Punch Man manga. I wonder if you can figure it out. Lol**

 **Well that's all for now. Please review, favorite and follow this chapter for more awesome chapters. I look forward to your support. We're getting close to the manga chapter that involved Sheele's death.**


	17. Evil Cousin, Grandma and An invitation?

Hello everyone! Welcome, once again, to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Wow! The previous chapter sure was intense, right?

Well guess what? This one is going to matchup to that, so be prepared. Lol

Oh yeah, to the reviewer TheAdmiralKJ12, thank you very much for your request. I actually enjoyed reading it. It was fun. But I can't use it since a part of it involves Sunny being taken away, though it would make sense. So the reason I didn't go with it is because I want Sunny to be a reoccurring villainess in this fanfiction. But since I liked your request, I've considered having Verdona show up to a close similar fashion as you work. As for the reason why she won't take Sunny away, that is for you and the readers to read below to find out. I hope you enjoy it.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 17: Evil Cousin, Grandma and…An invitation?**

Tatsumi and Ieyasu were staring in full attention as Ben stood in front Sunny. It had only been a few seconds since the teen hero had taken the responsible of facing the Anodite; however, they weren't the only one watching. There was Akame and Leone, who from their position were watching, with Bulat being the same as he struggled back on the feet.

"So cousin…" Sunny said with a flattering tone. "What brings you to this part? I didn't sense you coming here. This is surprise."

Ben narrowed his eyebrows at her. "You're the one to talk." Ben stated. "What are you doing here? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Of course I do." Sunny smirked. "And I have no regret."

"You're sick!" Ben yelled angrily.

"Aw, thank you." Sunny giggled.

Ben said nothing back. It was a bit of a surprise to him, though he didn't show it, that Sunny was fine with what he just called her. But before anything else could be said, two familiar figures caught his attention as they running into the place from the only entrance. It was Aria and Satou.

"Ben, there you are!" Aria shouted.

Ben was a bit relieved. He had a thought already in mind, which he then revealed as he gestured to Tatsumi, Ieyasu and the girls. "Forget me for now. Go help them. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Be careful." Aria replied.

And with that, both Satou and Aria went over to the beaten Night Raid members. However, that didn't mean that Sunny ignored their presence as she looked at Ben again.

"I see you brought the ex-psycho back." Sunny said amusedly.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Ben asked.

"Nope."

Just then, Sunny snapped her fingers. Hence, pink ropes of mana energy shot out of the ground and grabbed Ben's arms and legs, keeping him restrained. The teen hero tried to break through it, of course, but found it impossible due to his outmatched strength.

Sunny was pleased with the outcome. She watched Ben struggle to break free until then raising her pink energy covered fist with a psychotic smirk on her face.

"Oh, thank you, Ben. I'll be sure to take care of the new playmates you gave me." She said.

Ben's eyes widened. He was shocked at what she said, before turning to the others, specifically Aria. Hence, he was able to make eye contact with the girl as she then looked back at him, having heard what was said. There was Tatsumi and Ieyasu, but the both of them were in shock at what they were seeing.

However, if any word were to be said it was by Sunny as she then shot a beam of mana straight for Ben's chest.

"Goodbye, cousin!" She exclaimed.

Ben turned to her and shot an annoyed glare. He didn't fear for the doom that was coming for him, nor did he make another effort to struggle. He just stood there and watched the beam for him, when suddenly something happened to him.

 **(MUSIC: KILL LA KILL EXTENDED THEME SONG: SIRIUS)**

A flash of green light suddenly engulfed Ben in a blink of the eye. It surprised Sunny for a bit, as she didn't expect such to happen. But that didn't stop the beam that she sent to hit the teen hero and do…nothing?

Ben huffed in his new alien form. He was in the form of a turtle-like being, thus without much of effort he broke out of Sunny's restrain and shouted. **"TERRASPIIIIIIN!"**

Just then, the Omnitrix spoke. **"OMNITRIX LIFE-SAVING FAILSAFE ACTIVATED. DESIGNATED ALIEN: GEOCHELONE AERIO."**

"What the hell?" Sunny said in shock. "How did you –"

Terraspin cut her off. He did it by retracting his head into his shell and opening a hatch, before then forming her fins and feet into a triangular shape that then levitated him in the air. Thus, by spinning like an electronic fan, the hero blasted Sunny with a wind attack that sent the girl flying back.

"Just a heads-up, Sunny. Terraspin is immune to mana attacks." Terraspin said confidently.

Sunny skidded backwards and maintained her standing. The blast from Terraspin may have caught off guard, but she was able to bend her knees and maintained that stay put. Hence, upon hearing the hero, she sent her hands directly to the ground and let them glow pink.

"Big mistake, cuz!" She shouted.

With that, the Anodite went on the offense. She caused two large rock cubes to levitate from the ground from both sides of the alien hero. Then, before the teen could react, he was squashed between the massive earthly shapes.

"Ben!" Aria shouted in shock.

However, there was no response. There was Sunny, though, who was pleased with her work for a moment. But all that changed when a large yellow and black ball-shaped being broke right through the cubes and slammed the Anodite, much to her shock.

" **DESIGNATED ALIEN: ARBURIAN PELAROTA."** The Omnitrix announced.

In other words, Ben was Canonbolt in his ball form. The Anodite who he had slammed into was then sent flying back, but then skidding to her feet. So before Ben could approach her any further, she raised her hand and formed a hammer made of mana energy, which she then slammed down at the alien hero.

Fortunately, Ben Tennyson was very reactive. He was able to 'see' the incoming attack, and thus roll out of the way with his target still being Sunny. Hence, before the Anodite knew it, the teen hero was then engulfed in a flash of light which changed him into…

" **XLR8!"** Ben exclaimed.

With this alien, the teen hero was at his fastest. So before Sunny could be on the offense, she was forced into defense by flying backwards and shielding her face as XLR8 then came at her with his blade-like arms hitting her. But then, if that wasn't enough, the teen hero suddenly switched his assault into spinning his body like a tornado, hence hitting the Anodite stronger and faster.

So it went without saying that Sunny felt overwhelmed. The smirk she once held was gone and replaced with annoyance as she continued to shield herself. But upon then being blown away by XLR8's new attack, she skidded back with bent knees and panted a bit as she tried to recollect herself.

However, XLR8 had a different thought for her. He could see the girl was tiring, and hence he went further on the offense by running and slamming her from different sides.

So with each hit the hero made, Sunny would stumble and get hit again with the same thing happening again and again. But then XLR8 changed that tactic and began running around her with so much speed that he created a tornado, which instantly lifted Sunny off the ground, with the upper end of the tornado making a turn to the ground that slammed her to the ground hard.

"Ben's winning!" Tatsumi smiled.

"Yeah…" Ieyasu agreed. "But was he always this fierce?"

Tatsumi didn't get to say anything back. It wasn't because he couldn't, but actually because of the blonde female standing before him with her hand extended to him.

"Hey…" Aria said softly. "You need my help?"

Tatsumi was quiet as he then looked away. He still held so much resent for the girl. Fortunately, another blonde, with a certain bust size, stepped forward in her Teigu form.

"Leave it to me." Leone said. "Your friend over there is going for Bulat. Help Akame."

"Uh…sure." Aria nodded.

Back at the fight, XLR8 made a U-turn and came to a stop. He had his attention back at a crater on the ground that contained Sunny, with no idea about the Anodite's state. But all that changed when the ground below him became sand and sunk his 'feet' and the situation becoming worse as both his sides was surrounded by tides of sand that then crashing down on him.

Sunny levitated out of the crater with her right fist covered by a pink aura. She had been the cause of what happened to XLR8, as the smirk on her face served as evidence. However, all that changed when the sand melted into stone until a flame covered figure jumped out and punched Sunny right in the face.

So with that, the Anodite was sent flying. She hit the ground on her back and bounced, before landing on her feet again without a scratch. Hence, without delay, she light up her fists with mana energy and shot two beams of mana directly at Ben, who was in the form of Heatblast.

It was a good thing then that the teen hero knew how to react. He didn't say it, though, as he immediately shot his flames at Sunny with both fists. Hence, both attacks collided, with their respective owners giving it their all.

Sadly, that didn't mean that Heatblast had the upper hand. He was strong in his own right, but not enough to deal with a superior being like an Anodite. Thus, in an attempt to survive being overwhelmed, the teen hero sent his flames to the ground, which instantly caused a dust cloud to form and him flying up into the air.

However, that didn't go well like he had hoped. The teen was able to fly up, but not far enough to avoid Sunny, who then appeared above him and shot two pink beams directly at him that sent him to ground hard.

Now Sunny had the upper hand in the battle. She was proud of herself, as the smirk on her face showed it when she flew straight for the hero. But before she could react, Heatblast slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and became Crashhopper, which he then used to slam his feet at Sunny's chest, sending her flying upwards into the air.

However, the fight didn't stop there. Sunny was able to maintain herself, but only briefly because of Crashhopper, who then jumped straight at her and hit her with his large horned head. Then, as the Anodite was sent flying up, he slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and became **Eye Guy** , who he then used to bulge his large chest-eye and shot a huge beam at her.

Sunny reacted properly to the incoming attack. It was brief, but she was able to form a shield at her front to take in the attack. However, because of the sense of being taken aback, she was sent higher into the air, with the shield breaking and Ben changing into another alien. This time it was **Wildvine** , which he then used to stretch out his elastic hands to grab Sunny and slam her hard on the ground.

But it wasn't over yet for the alien hero. Sunny was able to survive the crash, as she could then be seen standing up. But before she knew it, Ben changed into **Humungousaur** and landed right on her, causing the ground in the big space to shake and rocks to break apart.

"Holy shit." Leone said and smirked. "Who would've thought the lad had it in him."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu silently agreed and felt a bit embarrassed. The embarrassment was because both of them were being held under the woman's arms, with the side of their heads touching her busty chest. As for Aria, she was carrying Akame by having the girl's arm around her shoulder, although it was a bit of a strain to the blonde. Currently, the both of them were with Leone and the boys.

"Remarkable." Akame said. She was watching the fight. "By constantly changing forms…Tennyson is making it impossible for Sunny to react properly."

' _Yeah…'_ Aria mentally agreed.

Back at the fight, Humungousaur stepped out of the big crater he created and touched the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, which changed him back to normal. However, just as that happened, Sunny suddenly grew sixty feet tall in her Anodite form and drew back her right fist.

"This isn't over!" Sunny exclaimed.

And with that, the Anodite slammed her fist straight down on the teen hero. Her action right there caused the earth to shake, as a dust cloud formed around Ben's area formed while everyone else watching was in shock.

But then, the tide of the battle changed. A flash of light emerged from the dust cloud while Sunny sensed something was off. Hence, when the dust cloud cleared, the source of it all revealed itself to be Ben in the form of **Feedback** and holding the girl's fist with both hands.

"What the – AAAAHHHHH!"

Sunny began to feel a lot of pain. She didn't know how until she found that she couldn't pull her fist back despite the effort. And it made sense because it was Feedback, who was draining her of her mana energy.

"LE-LET ME GO!" Sunny screamed.

Feedback did as she told him. He smirked a bit, of course, when he did it and grinned when he charged up his finger-like fingers with the power he obtained from Sunny.

"You forgot to say please!" The alien hero exclaimed.

And with that, the teen hero sent another blow. He shot a massive energy blast directly at Sunny's chest, which had a repercussion to her. Hence, with just that power alone, the girl screamed from the pain and was sent flying into the air until her body returned back to its normal size and hit the ground hard.

"And now…the big finale." Feedback said.

Just then, the alien hero slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his chest. He was then engulfed by the familiar green light all over his body until it died down to reveal his next alien transformation.

" **ATOMIX!"** He bellowed.

And with that, the teen hero jumped forward. He could see Sunny was on the ground, and hence sent his fist down at her. However, the young Anodite was able to stretch her hand out and create a shield dome which took the punch. But then, that situation changed when Atomix punched the shield again, this time shattering it instantly.

"NO! STAY BACK!" Sunny shouted.

The Anodite at that moment struck back. This time, she sent out her energy pulse blast that immediately sent Atomix back. However, this had little effect on the alien hero as he was then seen landing on his feet on the ground with no scratch on is body. But then that changed when a bunch of man energy ropes restrained his arms, neck, legs and waist. Now Sunny had the upper hand…or so it seems.

" **Not so fast, cousin!"** Atomix stated.

Suddenly, certain green areas around Atomix began to glow. They easily burnt the mana ropes tied around the alien hero, with the rest being torn off by Atomix's hand. Then, right after that, the teen hero leaped forward and rammed into Sunny.

" **FISSILE WHISTLE! E-YAH!"**

Sunny cried out in pain. She was sent flying back and hitting the ground on her back. But as soon as that happened, she stood up and stretched out to shoot yet another mana beam. However, she was stopped when Atomix immediately grabbed that arm, much to her shock. Then, as she stretched her other arm, the alien hero grabbed that one too.

" **You know, cousin. Family has to stick together."** Atomix said.

Sunny's eyes immediately grew wide. "What? Wait! No!"

Atomix ignored her. He chose right then to power up his arms and body with nuclear energy, which instantly terrified the young Anodite. But there was no way of changing it. Atomix had already reached his maximum.

" **NUCLEAR! WINNEEERRRR!"**

With that, Sunny was defeated. The nuclear energy Atomix unleashed was so devastating that it covered the particular area they were in, with the rest of the power shooting up into the sky. So when that was over, Atomix was revealed to be levitating on the ground, with Sunny lying in a large crater, defeated. The Omnitrix then chose that moment to timeout, with said hero touching the ground and changing back to normal.

 **(SONG ENDS HERE)**

"Huh…I really went all out." Ben said. He then took that moment to look around until his eyes landed on the unconscious Sunny. "I wonder if she's okay." He wondered.

"Ben!" shouted a familiar female voice.

"Aria?" Ben turned to the direction of it.

From the sound of it, the voice sounded close. So without delay, the teen hero climbed out of it crater and saw the one who had called him, along with everyone else. Leone was carrying Tatsumi and Ieyasu while Satou carried Bulat in the same fashion as Aria was carrying Akame. By now they were in front of him, having seen all that happened.

"You did it." Aria said and smiled.

"Yeah, I did." Ben smiled back. Then he turned his attention to Tatsumi and Ieyasu. "We should get you guys some medical help. Right now…"

"THIS…THIS ISN'T OVER!" shouted a familiar voice.

Everyone immediately was startled by it. They knew who it belonged to and as such they turned to the source of it to find Sunny standing a few meters behind Ben in her Anodite form but looking seemingly weak as a sense of depression was on her.

"What…What kind of joke is this?!" Sunny questioned stressfully. "This was my moment to shine…not you! So if you hadn't come here…I would've…I would've finally gotten the recognition I deserve!"

Ben was silent to response. The same was for everyone else as they watched the once overpowered girl then fall to her knees and continued.

"Shit…Shit…Shiiiittt!" Sunny cursed loudly. "It's always like this! I'm never the one grandma speaks nicely of! I'm never the one my parents can be proud of! I'm never the…the one that can find love! But no…not this time! I won't give up!"

Finally, Ben spoke up.

"What happened to you?" He asked. His face was that of sympathy mixed with firmness as he continued. "You were a lot of things. A brat and annoying comes to mind. But you weren't a killer."

"Hmph…You sure of that?" Sunny smirked. Then she slowly stood up. "Well I guess you never heard, but I got disowned by my folks a while ago. They had a new kid and didn't want me to be a bad influence to him…I can't say I blame them."

Ben said nothing back. He could sense that something wasn't right. So with his eyes still on Sunny, he noticed a bit of tears form at her eyes before they suddenly disappeared.

' _She's hiding her true feelings.'_ Ben concluded.

"Now then…" Sunny said again. "I won't lose this time. So fight me."

Ben paused for a moment and reached to the Omnitrix. He still had enough power for one more alien until the alien device goes for recharge mode. But before he could select an alien form, he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Huh?" Ben turned back.

It was Akame. She was still wounded from her fight with Sunny from before. However, due to a bit of willpower, she was able to stand on her own as a firm look was on her face.

"Can you do it?" She asked. "Can you take her life? She's too dangerous to be left alive."

Ben was shocked to hear that. He hadn't expected to be asked such a question in such a direct way. But then it made sense to him, as a strict look came over him at Akame.

"No one is killing anyone here." He said.

Just then, Leone spoke up.

"Are you sure about that, lad?" The female blonde asked firmly. "We appreciate the quick save. But that doesn't change the fact that your cousin is too dangerous. She almost killed everyone before you showed up. So can you take responsibility if she goes free and kill more innocent people?"

"I can." Ben said.

"And then what?" Leone asked. "Those lives will still be gone. They can never come back no matter how responsible you can be."

Ben was quiet to respond. A part of him didn't want to listen to them since they were just assassins. However, he couldn't help but think on the fact that they had a good reason to things. But if that wasn't enough, Bulat suddenly stepped forward and placed his hand on the teen's shoulder with a bit of concern on his wounded face.

"I know this is difficult. You likely never taken a life, have you?" Bulat asked.

Ben said nothing back. He also made sure to look away from the young man, who then continued. "If you want, I can do it for you. You don't have to be responsible for anything. She is a part of your family, so it's your call to make."

Ben was still quiet to respond. He had heard the young man's suggestion, but not to the point to agree with it right away. But even if he did, everyone was suddenly interrupted then Sunny began to laugh.

"All of you! All of you! All of you! The people! The world! This fucking universe! All of you are the same! When something bigger than you come, you act tough until it pushes you to the ground! Then you wait till it's down and take it out! Stupid!"

Just then, something happened. A bunch of mana leaked from the ground like mist and went into Sunny's body, instantly healing her. It surprised everyone except for Ben, but she continued anyway.

"You heard him, Ben. What will it be?" She asked. "I'm all patched up. I'm never going to stop harming and killing pople. It's just who I am now. But if you don't mind, I would ask I die in your hands. Maybe my life would have some meaning if you do that."

"I won't do that." Ben said firmly. "Killing isn't my call."

Sunny giggled in response. "Naïve as ever, aren't you? Maybe in our world that is the case, but here…it is a kill or be killed. I learnt that fact, so why haven't you? You think this world needs a hero…Pfft! That's pathetic. What this world needs isn't some pure hearted heart. This world needs a man who is willing to do anything for its survival. Look at you, you have the most powerful device in the universe right on your wrist and you don't change this world by force. Maybe…Maybe you're not worthy."

"Leave him alone!" Aria shouted angrily. She had heard everything the Anodite had said and felt annoyed by it. "Ben is very worthy of the Omnitrix. He's a true hero!"

"Is that true?" Sunny questioned and eyed the blonde. "Then tell me, what kind of hero saves a bitch like you who tortured and killed his friend? Maybe it sounds good to you, but to those who were emotionally devastated like Tatsumi and Ieyasu, that was very insensitive for anyone with common sense."

Aria took a step back and looked away depressingly. At the same time, Tatsumi and Ieyasu didn't know what to say. They didn't want to agree with the psychotic Anodite. However, what she had said there was true. As for Bulat and Leone, the both of them were uncertain about certain things since they weren't around when Sunny explained her and en's origin.

"So what will it be, Benny?" Sunny asked. "Will you –"

"No." Ben said firmly.

Sunny frowned in response. "Well that was disappointing. But then again I shouldn't be surprise. You and Gwen are always grandma's favorite."

Ben said nothing back. He instead watched as the young Anodite levitated into the air until a smirk formed on her face.

"You know what? On second thought, keep that one rule of yours." Sunny said delightfully. "I will crush all your bullshit about morals and show you the reality of this world. Thus, I will be your first kill. Wait for me till then, cousin. Bye!"

Again, the teen hero said nothing back. A part of him was disturbed by what she said despite not showing it physically. Hence, the Anodite made her ponytails to curl around her body until she disappeared out of sight.

"Good…It's over." Ieyasu sighed.

Maybe it was too soon to say that. The reason for that was obvious when two fast footsteps were heard, followed by a familiar female voice calling out certain people.

"Akame! Leone! Bulat!" Mine cried out.

Immediately, everyone including those not mentioned turned to the direction of the voice. They found right there and then that Mine and Sheele were running to them with a look of urgency on their face. Hence, when they arrived everyone was paying attention to them even though Mine was then confused by everyone's bad state and the presence of Ben, Satou and Aria.

"You know what? Never mind that." Mine said and shook her head. "Right now we have to get out of here. A lot of Imperial guards are heading this way."

"What?" Leone questioned in shock. "How could they know about us here? It's not like we…"

Suddenly, a thought and realization came to Leone. It also happened to everyone else except Mine and Sheele, as numerous glares from certain people faced the teen hero, with Leone being the one to speak.

"Idiot, do you know what you just did?!" She yelled. "Shooting that beam into the sky like that was uncalled for!"

"Wait!" Mine yelled and then glared at the hero. "You're the one who shot that thing! Sheele and I could see it from the other end of the Capital, idiot!"

"Uh…My bad?" Ben sheepishly smiled.

No one smiled back, though. The glare everyone was sending at the teen hero was tense, especially as it came from Aria and Satou. But as much as everyone would like to badmouth the hero, there was their present situation which Akame then brought up. Sadly, this only happened when she stumbled and held her head.

"We don't have much time." The female assassin said. "Imperial guards will be here soon. And we don't have our full strength to face them or retreat efficiently."

Leone growled with a low tone and turned to Akame. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. You, Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Bulat are still badly hurt. If we don't do something fast then…"

" **I guess that's my cue."**

Everyone froze and looked around them. They didn't know who it was that said that or where it came from. But then, all that changed when they were all engulfed by a pink light which then teleported them away and just in good time. The Imperial guards had arrived into the area, but only to then find the place deserted of any other human being.

"Stand aside." said a firm male voice.

The Imperial guards did as told. Hence, they watched as General Budo walked through the straight line they formed until he stood before them with an angry look on his face.

"Damn. We missed them." He said angrily.

 **(LINE BREAK)**

At an unknown location in the forest, a flash of pink light was noticed. It seemed to happen sudden, as they was no sign of human life for miles. That didn't matter though, because the ones who stood after the flash of pink light were Night Raid and Ben and his company.

"Wow, what the…" Tatsumi said in shock.

Like everyone else, the teen was confused. He took the few seconds he had there to look around, before noticing he was standing with his strength and body back to normal. This also went for his clothes, which had been with some tears in his fight with Sunny.

"I'm…alright?" Tatsumi questioned.

The same was for Ieyasu, Akame and Bulat. The three assassins were back on their feet with their bodies and clothes restored to the state it had been.

"How is this possible?" Akame asked.

" **That would be me."** said a female voice again.

The source of the voice then revealed her body to everyone. She seemed to have been hiding in the shadows until everyone turned to the direction and saw her walk out. Hence, everyone was shocked to see that it was an old woman in a blue robe with green eyes and sideways combed grey hair.

"Hello everyone. That sure was something huh?" The woman chirpily smiled.

"Grandma?" Ben questioned in shock. But then he changed as a wide smile came on his face, followed by him rushing to the woman and giving him a hug. "Grandma!"

"Grandma?!" Everyone questioned in shock.

Grandma Verdona chuckled and hugged her grandson in response. "Nice to see you too, Ben." She said happily. "How's my favorite grandson doing? Have you grown taller and stronger since the last time we met? I guess that's expected from my seventeen year old grandson."

"Seventeen?" Ben questioned. He was shocked at the sudden word as it then made him to release his grandmother and step back.

Unfortunately, Verdona didn't seem to notice his shocked face as she then replied. "Yes." Verdona said. "You're birthday passed about a week ago."

"WHAT?!" Ben screamed. His action then was followed by him clutching his head and screaming to the sky. "DAMMIT! HOW COULD I FORGET MY OWN BIRTHDAY! I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST A MOOONTH!"

Everyone else was silent to respond back. It wasn't because they couldn't; it was just that the teen's behavior right there made them send strange looks which a few of them exchanged at the other. As for Verdona, the woman just giggled and calmly placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Ben. If it makes you feel better I didn't know either until two days later." She said.

"Uh…thanks." Ben said awkwardly at his grandmother. _'This is coming from the woman who never visited until Gwen and I were fifteen. I feel so assured right now, grandma.'_ He thought sarcastically.

"Anyway…" Verdona said and turned to Night Raid, Aria and Satou. "Do you mind introducing me to your friends? I assume some of them are the infamous Night Raid I've heard so much about."

"Wait, you know about them?" Ben asked in shock.

"Yes, I do." Verdona said. Then she turned to Ben and frowned, which surprised him. "I can't tell you the details, but I can say this world is a place not fit for you. How about I take you to some other worlds?"

"Other worlds?" Mine questioned.

Her question wasn't addressed for an answer, though. Verdona just continued. "I know a place where there are three beautiful sisters that are superheroes just like you. You might like the one with red hair or the blonde. But I won't permit the one with black hair. She's too tomboyish."

"Grandma!" Ben shouted. The teen was now in a moment's panic as he then removed his grandmother's hands from his shoulders.

"What?" Verdona questioned with a clueless look. "Not good enough? Well there's this other world that has a school for superheroes. Maybe you should attend there. I heard from your cousin that you don't attend classes because of the credits you get for your hero work. Hmm…I think one of the instructors for that school was called All Mi -"

"Grandma, stop!" Ben shouted.

Verdona was still clueless though. She stopped in her rant, but just in time for Ben to then draw his face close to her ear and whispered. "Please stop talking about other worlds. It's a secret."

"Secret?" Verdona questioned. Then she looked over to Night Raid. "What is he talking about? Sunny already told some of you about him and our world."

"Wait, what?" Ben was shocked.

The Night Raid members were different, however. Most of them were confused, while Tatsumi and Ieyasu look uneasy with Akame saying nothing at all. But then a thought came to Akame that then led to her to speak back with a small glare.

"You were there, weren't you?" She asked.

"I was." Verdona said calmly. "And I had to say, I'll have to have some words with Sunny the next time I see her."

"You bitch! You were watching the whole time and did nothing!" shouted Leone.

Suddenly, the blonde assassin attacked. It happened all of a sudden, as no one was able to stop her. And since she was in her Teigu's form, she leaped forward and threw a punch down on Verdona right before Ben.

"Leone, no!" The teen hero shouted.

However, his warning was too late. Leone's fist was inches close to Verdona's face, when suddenly the blonde found her body unable to move in mid-hair. Hence, before she knew it, the pink aura that was now surrounding her body was then used to send her flying back to Night Raid and hitting the ground on her butt.

"Well that was rude." Verdona remarked. Then she turned to Ben. "Maybe you and Sunny should come back home. Partly nude women aren't good to a young man like yourself especially the one with such big bags on their chest."

Leone growled in response. "Why you –"

"Leone, no." Akame said straightly. She wasn't facing the blonde though, but rather the grandmother and her grandson. _'If I remember clearly, Sunny said she and Ben are related through that woman..So if that's the case, that woman is more powerful than her and possibly Ben. We won't stand a chance against her in a real fight.'_

That didn't mean Leone was fine with things. She was still angry as she then got back on her feet and crossed her arms under her busty chest. Meanwhile, Verdona continued from where she stopped and smiled a bit.

"But I can't do it." She said. "That Paradox fellow sounds trustworthy so I'll take his word for now."

' _She knows Paradox?'_ Ben was surprised.

Just then, the grandmother did something. She lifted her left arm to her chest level and snapped her finger. Hence, before anyone knew it, their left wrist shined a pink symbol of the Omnitrix which then disappeared a second later.

"What was that?" Ieyasu asked.

"A little something from me." Verdona answered. She was now facing the group. "This is an apology from me for what Sunny did to you. Sometimes we Anodites forget how people may feel from the things we say. With those symbols now, you should have a better chance against Sunny if you ever face her again."

Ben was confused and mildly shocked. The way Verdona had nonchalantly said things made it seem that she wasn't going after his evil cousin. It was strange.

"You're not going after her?" Ben asked.

"I could do that and take her home to be punished again." Verdona said and turned to Ben. "But it would look like doing just that would only make her more ignorant and self-centered, as past experience as shown. I'll leave the task of dealing with her to you. Now I know what she said may have been hard for you. But I have faith that you'll do the right thing. You stayed with Gwen's decision even when I was against it and you made the right call to free everyone on Earth from Vilgax's control. For that, I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, grandma." Ben said with a smile. However, he then felt doubt that then made him to frown. "But grandma, what about…"

"She lied to you." Verdona stated. "She wasn't disowned by her parents. She left Anodyne at her own will. I believe she did it because she doesn't want to be a bad influence to her little brother…They were hints, but I paid no attention to them in time. But I believe you can bring the good in her. You did it with that blonde girl over there and you can do it again with Sunny…Also, the fact you have the Omnitrix and all its power doesn't mean you must abuse it or fall into pity actions. It just means you're strong enough to use it rightly. Don't forget that."

"Thank you, Grandma." Ben smiled. This time it was with a stronger feeling.

Verdona then turned to Night Raid. "Also, do you mind not killing my granddaughter? I know she hurt you and almost killed all of you, but I didn't give those mana seals to you for free either. So think of them as an exchange."

' _Is she kidding us?!'_ Mine thought angrily. She already had her finger at the trigger of her pumpkin as her arm twitched to raise the weapon and shoot the woman. _'I'm not sure of some things, but I do know that there's no way in hell we should let the person who hurt Akame and the others to live…I'll take that old hag out with just this shot.'_

Verdon turned to Mine and smirked. In response, the pink haired girl was confused and a bit taken off guard. She didn't know why, but it felt like Verdona was expecting something her. But even if she didn't, the female assassin was taken aback in fear when she felt the ground shake as a huge breeze pass her side before she could blink. Hence, everyone got to see the result of what happened.

The trees at Mine's right were all cut down beyond recognition. Upon that, the ground was still shaking like a train was passing by, which was still shocking to Night Raid, Aria and Satou.

" _The earth…it's still shaking."_ Tatsumi thought. He looked down to the ground with a feeling of awe. _'Is it possible that more trees are being cut down right now in the distant…To be able to do that…Ben's grandmother just had to look at Mine. She didn't even lift a finger to do it.'_

' _I was right.'_ Akame thought, though firmer than Tatsumi. _'This woman is stronger than Sunny.'_

"Well that was fun." Verdona chirpily said and clapped her hand. "I'll leave the rest to you, Night Raid and the other two. Please take care of my grandson."

"Uh…sure." Ieyasu managed to say.

"We will, ma'am." Sheele stated clearer.

"Wonderful." Verdona said. Then she turned to Ben and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Take care, Ben. We'll meet again when everything is over. Grandma has other things to do, you know."

"Okay, Grandma." Ben replied. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Verdona chirpily said.

And so with that, the woman's stay was complete. She let her body become pink mana energy, before shooting off into the sky unlike anything Night Raid had seen. Hence, the woman was gone from their sight and out of their universe.

"Wow." Sheele said in astonishment.

Unlike her friends, the young woman didn't seem bothered by Verdona's display of power. Maybe it had to do with her personality or just airheaded attitude. Nonetheless, a thought then came to her that led her to turn over to Ben.

"Uh, Ben, can I ask you something?" She asked.

Ben turned to her. "Uh, sure…Sheele, right? What's up?"

"Can you come with us to our hideout? Our boss would like to meet you." She said.

"Um…I don't know." Ben said and then turned to Night Raid. _'Grandma may have her moments, but she doesn't know Night Raid like I do.'_

Akame was silent to respond. She was the first, with Bulat being the second, to overcome the strange feeling towards Verdona when she had left. Hence, with her mind clear, she looked straight at Ben and then at Sheele.

' _With all that has happened, I almost forgot about boss's second order.'_ She thought. _'It is strange, though. Sheele isn't one to keep up with non-killing instructions. Maybe she's progressing. I'm glad.'_

Just then, the female assassin spoke to Ben.

"You don't need to worry." Akame said assuredly. "We promise the girl and the man won't be harmed or tracked. They're free to go. You won't be harmed either or forced to come with us."

"Huh…" Ben said nonchalantly. He took that second after to turn to Aria and Satou, who were both in the group with Night Raid. "Hey, are you guys okay there?"

"We're fine." Aria said. However, there was a bit of an uneasy feeling in her mainly due to the position she was in.

That didn't mean Ben was at ease, though. He was glad to know that Satou and Aria were alright. But then he sighed and looked to ground.

"I don't know." He said deeply. "Maybe it would be best that –"

"Please, Ben." Sheele's voice interrupted. It sounded too close.

Ben opened in eyes and was startled. He was on his own for a second ago until he felt holding his hand. It wasn't hard and neither was it anything dangerous. But it feel weird , especially when he turned to the person and then somewhat regretted it

Sheele said nothing right there. She was the one that was holding Ben's hand, as her own hands were the ones holding his hand. So in that moment, Ben felt slightly taken aback and embarrassed. One of the reasons was due to the cleavage of Sheele's dress that gave Ben the moment to notice her busty chest, while the other reason was the cute pleading face that she was giving him.

So with that, it was no surprise then that Ben's cheeks heated up as he removed his hand and turned away in embarrassment.

"Alright, fine! I'll go with you guys!" He exclaimed.

Sheele was pleased to hear it. "Thank you." She said.

"You-you're welcome." Ben said nervously. He still refused to look at her, mostly due to the way he was feeling. _'Snap out of it, Ben! You're not looking cool right now!"_ He thought.

Aria growled with a low tone. She knew exactly what just happened. And as such, she didn't hold back.

"Y-YOU IDIOT PERVEERRRTTTT!" Aria screamed.

 **(LINE BREAK)**

 **AAAANNND I'm done with this chapter! I'm so glad to get this one over with! it was so fun to write it because of the fight and the comedy. Both were fine with me. What about you?**

 **Originally, this chapter had more to it. I wanted to extend it to the part where Ben meets Najenda and also add a scene involving Esdeath. But after some thinking, I decided to leave Najenda's part for the next chapter and put the other one away (especially with fact that she'll be showing up in about two or three chapters).**

 **The next chapter might not be as much as this one. I'm not exactly sure right now, but I do know that it will have two scenes, the latter of which would be an emotional moment. The reason is because we'll be heading back to the manga (chapter 7 to be precise) which in the manga was emotionally centered and not action based. However, to be honest, I'm trying to see about making big changes to it because of reasons I can't reveal due to spoilers.**

 **So who were able to get some references from Verdona? She wasn't just babbling for babbling sake, she was actually talking about two shows. One of them is a show on Cartoonnetwork while the other is an anime that many anime fans should know.**

 **So do you want to know who they are? If also scroll down.**

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 **The shows were The Powerpuff Girls, while the other is My Hero Academia.**

 **How many of you got them right? Please let me know in the reviews.**

 **Now about Sheele, some may think a romance might happen between Ben and Sheele. It won't sorry. The polls were already decided, with Leone being the winner. And I'm going to restrict with just two guys as Ben's main love interest. However, I'm considering a one-sided relationship. Tell me what you think in the reviews.**

 **Well that's all for now. I wanted to reply to certain reviews, but this author note (or whatever you may call it by now) has gone long enough. Thank you very much for reading this chapter. Please review, favorite and follow to get more awesome chapters. Bye!**


	18. Proposition, Closure and The Apprentice?

Hello everyone! Welcome, once again, to another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you very much for your reviews. I feel the love. Haha

Thank you, Analpoptarts, for pointing out that repetitive mistake. I'll be sure to reduce the use of that word.

Anyway, there's been a request going about by a few of you for me to write a Ben 10 crossover with My Hero Academia. Please read the end of the chapter for my response.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 18: Proposition, Closure and…The Demon's apprentice?**

Night Raid, an infamous group of assassins that continues to opposed the empire. They've been able to strike some prominent monsters in 'human skin' in the Capital and gotten the most attention of the empire. But recently just when their line of work didn't seem dangerous, they had almost been wiped out by an alien from another world. It would've even happened. Fortunately, a certain person from that world had saved them and now they were in their hideout.

Najenda was sitting on her usual seat in the conference room. It had only been a minute since she had been informed by Lubbock that the teen hero had been brought to the hideout. And now that it was the case, the boss of Night Raid felt pleased as she eyed the young man in front of her.

"You're Ben Tennyson, correct?" Najenda asked with a bit of amusement as she looked him over. He looked like an ordinary boy in his teens. "For a young man you've done quite well for yourself. I'm impressed."

"Uh…thanks." Ben said. He was alone with Night Raid since Aria and Satou weren't allowed to go with him. Meanwhile he observed the so called leader of night raid who looked interesting enough with her silver hair, eye patch and more noticeably the mechanical right arm she had connected at the shoulder. She certainly looked like she's seen plenty of action… and seemingly lost in some rounds of it as well.

The teen hero was standing in full view of everyone. The other members of Night Raid were in their usual positions with their attention at Ben, who felt a bit tense from the stares which showed on his face. Fortunately, Najenda was assuring.

"You do not need to worry. We don't wish to fight." Najenda said straightly. The young woman was good at studying facial shifts so she knew what to do. Hence, she continued. "But before I get to my intention… Akame, a brief mission report if you don't mind."

Akame nodded. "As ordered we went after the serial killer known as Black Widow and encountered her. However, in a series of misfortune the mission was a failure. The Black Widow who goes by the name of Sunny Tennyson was too powerful."

' _A failure? She's related to the young man?'_ Najenda thought in shock. She did well to not show it on her physical face, so she replied. "I see. You can brief me on the details later. Right now let's get to the current importance."

Akame nodded silently. Meanwhile, there were others who were shocked at the brief report. These people were Lubbock, Mine and Sheele since they hadn't been present when the others had fought Sunny and lost. But none of them said anything, especially when Najenda turned to Ben.

"I have a proposition for you." Najenda said calmly. "I have been told that Tatsumi and Bulat tried to recruit you to Night Raid, correct? I also heard that you declined. That is why I have a different offer for you."

"Okay…and that is?" Ben asked.

"An alliance." Najenda answered getting a raised eyebrow from Ben as a reaction. "My sources tell me you're not a killer, but at the same time you're a young man who wants to defeat the empire. I assume you've heard about the revolutionary army from Tatsumi, correct?"

"Yeah, I have." Ben answered. "To be honest with you, I find the cause fine. It kind of reminds me of some history books I…well tried to read back when I was ten."

"I see." Najenda said. "Then here is my proposition. Become allied with us and be a part of the revolution when the time comes. You're a powerful young man, possibly more powerful than the empire's strongest. I assume you've heard of her."

"Yeah I've heard about her." Ben replied as he was familiar with the supposed empires strongest fighter, the Queen of ice and mayhem General Esdeath. Although he had yet to see her, he has heard about what she looks like.

' _Ben knows of her?'_ Tatsumi thought with mild shock. 'But… _now that I think of it neither have Ieyasu and I. Maybe we can ask about her later.'_

The conversation continued.

"I'm guessing that you need someone to handle her, right?" "Ben asked with slight amusement. He had concluded a thought when the woman had brought up the empire's strongest. "I assume that's why you called me here. Since I defeated most of your best fighters while fighting them all at once you wish to have me fight her either to defeat her or at the very least keep her distracted while you can move about without concern for her attacking you during a mission."

"Smart, aren't you?" Najenda said and smiled a bit at his cleverness. "But yes that is another reason we called you here. If you're aware about her then it's certain you have a hint of the level of power she holds."

"I've only heard about her powers, frankly I don't know if the gossip about her is on the spot, undermined or overestimated." Ben retorted since he hadn't seen the Ice Queen in action he didn't a full grasp of her capabilities.

"The gossip about her is only the tip of the iceberg." Najenda spoke.

"Hmm you speak as if you know from experience. I take it you witnessed her in action?" Ben asked in curiosity.

Najenda gave a stern look before it turned into a pained smirk as she moved her left hand over her eyepatch. "More than a witness, I fought her and ended up losing my eye and arm as a result while she left unscathed."

Ben's eyes widened a bit at that piece of information while the members of night raid didn't really react since they already knew about the origin of their leaders wounds, although Lubbock did clench his fists a bit as he wished he could face Esdeath to make her pay for harming his secret crush.

"That's why we could use your help. With your level of skills you just might be able to take her out and give us the chance to end this war against the empire once and for all."Najenda continued.

Yeah, but there's a problem with your offer." Ben replied. The amusement he held before then became replaced with a straight look. "Since she's such a dangerous opponent I imagine you won't allow her to remain alive due to the danger she represents which is where the problem comes in because I don't kill. If I'm to handle her then it'll have to be on my terms with my rules, this is none-negotiable."

Leone smirked at Ben's response. _"Well he's certainly got some balls to talk to her like that even if he's a tough guy."_

Lubbock scowled a bit. _'This guy is being so bold before Najenda-san. I don't like it.'_ He thought.

"We will see then." Najenda said calmly. She didn't seem shaken by Ben's response as she then continued. "I cannot assure you that we won't want to have her killed. But for now I think an alliance is beneficial to the both of us. So what do you say?"

"I…don't know." Ben said with uncertainty. "No offences but you guys are killers…but at the same time you have a good cause even though it isn't a moral one. Besides, you guys are still fixated on killing Aria. You know I won't let that happen."

"I expected such." Najenda commented. "Aria Goodricke has shown good changes from what Leone has told me. But she was meant to be killed on that very night. Honestly, I would want that job to be completed, but it would appear the man who requested it has gone silent despite being around her numerous times. I wonder why…"

' _She's talking about Satou.'_ Ben thought instantly. And with that a new thought came to mind, which he then said. "Well if you're not going to go after her then I have an offer. Night Raid is full of hard and dedicated fighters, right? Then how about some of them train her? She wants to fight against the empire…so if you can agree to that then I'll agree to an alliance with you guys… after one last talk about setting up our terms"

Najenda became silent. She had heard and understood perfectly on Ben's offer and didn't like it. But that didn't stop some members of Night Raid to feel angry, particularly a certain pink haired girl.

"You're kidding right?!" Mine shouted angrily. "That big head of yours must be in your ass! There's no way that…"

"I will keep it under consideration." Najenda interjected calmly.

Mine and the others were surprised. It was one thing for Najenda to offer an alliance with Ben and certainly another to be calm about the strange offer. But there was nothing they could say about it, especially as Ben turned sideways to her ready to go.

"Well I guess that's my cue to leave. You know where I am if you've accepted." He said.

"Indeed." Najenda replied.

"See ya." Ben waved at her.

Now at this point the teen hero turned his back and began to walk away. However, before he could make a few more steps Akame had stretched out her katana and pointed it to the side of his neck. It immediately surprised the teen and made him to stop.

"Akame!" Najenda yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"The truth." Akame said firmly.

Najenda could easily see that something wasn't right. She didn't sense the thirst to kill Ben in the girl or anything close to it. But by the answer she had given, she knew that it likely was important. But that didn't mean Ben was easy with it.

"Hey! What are you doing? I thought we had a deal!" Ben said offensively while glaring at the female swordsman. He was already showing anger at the girl's action, especially as the blade was inches to his neck. But as he got no response, he continued. "Anyway, I don't owe you guys anything."

"Is that so?" Akame questioned firmly. "Then what about Tatsumi and Ieyasu? You've been lying to them ever since you came to this world…am I correct?"

Ben was silent. At the same time, everyone else besides Tatsumi and Ieyasu were shocked and confused. It sounded like Akame was saying nonsense even though the girl wasn't known for such. But as that wasn't enough someone did speak on it and that was Lubbock.

"Akame, what are you talking about?" The green haired young man asked.

Akame turned her eyes to him. "I'm saying what I've observed. Ben Tennyson isn't like how we preserve him to be. His Omnitrix isn't even a Teigu…it's something else."

"Akame! You're not really buying that, right?!" Leone yelled angrily. "That bimbo we faced was just saying nonsense. Different world? That's crazy!"

"It did at first…" Akame said calmly. "The one we called Black Widow, but is really named Sunny Tennyson showed abilities that were too numerous to have a connection with a Teigu. Upon that, there was her 'alien' form that revealed to be her true self. She was able to use speed that outmatched mine, she was able to make Tatsumi and Ieyasu's weapons explode and to add to that she could sense the presence of others…with other abilities to add…You should know this, Leone, she was able to detect and beat you too easily."

Leone became baffled and quiet. As much as she hated to admit it, Akame's argument was valid at this point. So while those not involved in that battle were shocked at the revelation, Akame went back to Ben with a glare.

"Now then…who and what are you, Ben Tennyson?" Akame said straightly. "You are right that you don't owe me or the others. But your lies put Ieyasu and Tatsumi's life on the line. Can you handle the guilt?"

Ben was still quiet. He wasn't angry anymore, as that had dropped immediately. But now the teen felt guilt now that he let the assassins words get to him. So with not much to say, he turned over to Tatsumi and Ieyasu.

"Do you guys really want to know?" Ben asked.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu felt a bit taken aback. A part of them hadn't expected the teen hero to be so forward with them. But now that they saw he was willingness in his tone they recovered, with Ieyasu going on the offensive.

"We all need to know, Ben!" The spiky haired teen yelled. "Who are you really?! What is the Omnitrix?! What are aliens?! Are you really from another world?! We need to know!"

Ben became silent for a few seconds. During that time he processed the questions Ieyasu had just brought up before his mind wondered if he should tell the truth or not. It wasn't just about saying the truth or not it was about if they would even be able to comprehend what he would tell them considering their world is far more primitive and less advanced. After awhile he lifted his Omnitrix arm to his chest level and pushing his coat's sleeve with his other hand to reveal the Omnitrix. However, that didn't put Akame at ease. She felt that Ben was about to attack. Fortunately, the teen didn't do such thing.

"Very well then, my name is Ben Tennyson. I'm human like you guys." Ben said sincerely. "And yes…I'm from another world…or universe you might say."

"Another world?" Lubbock said.

"Yeah. So in order for you to understand, let me ask you this. Have any of you ever looked up at the stars or moon at night and wondered if there was something that lied beyond them or looked at the horizon of the ocean and wondered what lands may lie far away?" Ben questioned all those in the room earning surprised looks for a moment.

Surprisingly the first person to raise her hand was Sheele who then spoke "I have."

Ben nodded before waiting for someone else to confirm as well and it turned out to be Akame who said "I've looked at the sea before and once wondered what lies beyond the horizon."

"Well then you can think of me as someone who comes from a different place. A place you can't get to through normal means because it lies beyond the reach of anyone here." Ben said getting their attention on him again. "If you ever wondered what the world would be like if something that doesn't exist or hasn't been invented yet but were to be introduced into the world then you could say I come from such a world. You see…this universe…this world we're in is just one of the many universes called the Multiverse. So the thing about these universes is that some can be slightly similar or vastly different like my own."

Bulat listened. "So you're really from another world."

"Yeah." Ben replied.

Everyone responded in their own way. It was on their face expression, as the look of shock was on some and the look of disbelief on others like Lubbock and Mine. So while Akame sheathed her Murasame, it wasn't surprising then that the green haired teen laughed and had something to say.

"Good one, kid. I almost believed that." Lubbock said calmly. "Another world? The Multiverse? Even stuff like that isn't in stories I've read as a kid."

"This is one of the reasons I didn't tell the truth." Ben muttered but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Because this world is so much more primitive and less advanced than mine you'd all have a hard time just trying to understand the concepts of what I'm telling you."

"What's that supposed to mean huh!?"Lubbock retorted angrily at being called primitive as if he were some caveman or savage who didn't know anything.

"It means that you have all yet to see your world for what it truly is." Ben stated boldly. "A mere piece in a huge puzzle connected to places you couldn't begin to imagine. Lands that you haven't even discovered the existence of yet. That's what I'm saying."

"And what, you expect us to believe that you're from the moon or something?" Mine snorted at the very idea.

"He's not lying." Leone said instantly. "You weren't there. The girl we faced wasn't human, not in the slightest bit. I had my doubts, but I see now I was just being afraid of facing the truth. The girl…Sunny…she was unlike anything we've ever faced. It was like when we were facing her, we were facing an unbeatable monster that wasn't even using half of her power. If Ben hadn't shown up, she would've killed us all."

"No way…" Lubbock gasped. Mine was the same, however she said nothing.

"That's because she's an Anodite." Ben said straightly. And with that, everyone's attention was on him again. "From where I'm from, Anodites are powerful alien beings that can manipulate reality to a certain extent through mana or life energy, just so you know. They have their own planet which is called Anodyne. I'm human so I come from earth."

"Then what are aliens?" Tatsumi asked. "Sunny said she was an alien and that the creatures you turned into are also aliens. So what are they?"

"Aliens are…" Ben said and paused to touch the Omnitrix. "Well in a way you could say they're the humans of their own worlds. Just as you are the dominant species of this world over animals, they're the dominant ones of their own world. However, they possess powers beyond humankind's ability. In my universe, they're a lot of them in existence who have made their way to my planet. I don't know if this universe has one too, but I can tell you the ones in my universe are cool and…strange. They're not all evil…some of them are really good. One of my best friends is even an alien."

"And the Omnitrix?" Ieyasu asked.

"Right…the Omnitrix." Ben said. He then paused and removed his hand to look at the alien device. "Tell me are you familiar with what DNA is?"

"It's what's in our blood isn't it?" Akame asked. Ben nodded in approval that they understood at least that part of it.

"Correct. It is in the blood but also in the flesh as well." Ben said explanatory. "The Omnitrix is the most powerful device in the universe with over a million different alien DNA stored in it. I've only unlocked over a seventy. To be honest with you, this isn't the first Omnitrix. The first one was one I used back when I was ten, but because of a certain squid faced bad guy that my grandmother mentioned to some of you, I had to blow it up. I got another device called the Ultimatrix after that. It could turn me into not just my usual aliens but also to their ultimate forms…You might say that it was my own trump card. But thanks to that squid face showing up again, I got this present one…the new Omnitrix. It doesn't give me that trump card I mentioned, but it fixed all the bugs in the former devices and has some extra features."

Everyone was at awe. However, it didn't mean that they were all okay with the information. To some of them, they felt that it would've been better if they hadn't heard all of this information because now it just made Ben bigger than them that they had imagined. At the same time, it also made some of them feel he was a bigger threat than possibly the empire.

' _He's dangerous.'_ Najenda thought quietly. _'Not only is he from another world, but he has a device that even defies a Teigu…We'll have to be more conscious of him from now on. He is now a bigger threat than I had perceived him to be before.'_

"So how's it like there?" Leone then asked. "I'm talking about where you come from. Something tells me it's not as insane as ours."

"Well you're right about that." Ben replied and put down his arms. "My home has its crazy moments from low-time villains to supervillains trying to take over the world and the universe, but it's not a madhouse of insanity and evil like this place. In my earth, there is no empire and insane people like Ogre that walks the streets in broad daylight, the people aren't being oppressed and killed by lunatics like these and instead of an empire instead we have countries that have their own types of government and an intergalactic police force called the Plumbers."

"Intergalactic?" Tatsumi asked.

"Plumbers?" Mine questioned. "You guys have some major toilet problem?"

"No." Ben replied. "The plumbers I'm talking about aren't the ones you know of. I don't know why but the ones I know call themselves that. They're basically space police. My grandfather holds a high position with them and I work with them. Also the tech in my world is better than what I've seen here. We got television, videogames, cars and…you don't know what I'm talking about do you?"

"What gave you that clue?" Leone said sarcastically. Then she became relaxed. "But now that you've mentioned all that, I think it all makes sense. That explains why you mentioned something about the Plumbers when we first met. Also, no wonder you make some stupid decisions like saving that girl. No one in their right mind here would do that."

"What you call a stupid decision in this world would be called a noble decision in my world." Ben said strongly at her. "You guys want to change the world to be a better place, right? Well tell me, what's that going to be like? Will it be like the empire or will it be one where everyone is treated fairly and justly? If it's the latter, then I see no problem of being me."

"Hmph…smart comeback, lad." Leone smiled.

Ben was mildly surprised by her reaction. A part of him had expected her to yell at him or just show some form of anger. But then again he didn't get to say anything else, mostly because of Akame, who was still behind him.

"How did you get here then? What is your aim?" The female assassins asked with a direct tone. Her reaction there was not surprising, mostly because she now suspected the teen hero.

"My aim is to help people." Ben said. He didn't need to look or turn back to Akame to know the kind of feeling she was giving at him. So he continued. "One day after a road trip around my universe, I was feeling down and bored. But then a friend of mine who is a time traveler showed up and told me about this world. I heard a bit of it, but before he could explain everything else I just…went ahead because I just wanted to do something. Next thing I know I'm in some cold snowy place and saving Sayo from an avalanche."

"That's fucking stupid." Mine commented coldly. "So what you're saying is that you just came here because you were bored out of your mind!"

"Yeah…sounds bad huh?" Ben questioned sheepishly. Fortunately, he was able to be straight with himself again. "It's true that I wasn't thinking so much. I actually thought this would be like other universes I've visited. But after everything…after all that has happened, I feel more responsible and determined to stop this madness. So if you or anyone in Night Raid, including Tatsumi and Ieyasu hate me for keeping this a secret, then go ahead. I won't blame you."

Mine said nothing back. It wasn't because she felt any good towards the hero, but because she couldn't say anything. The same was also for everyone else as they mentally tried to take in the information they had just listened to. But seeing as everyone was quiet, Najenda chose that moment to speak.

"Tennyson…I must say that this is much to take in." The boss said deeply. "Other universes…worlds…the multiverse…the Omnitrix…This is certainly things we never knew or thought of. I'm glad we could know this truth. I believe this will be beneficial to the both of us. But before you leave I have one last question… about this cousin of yours."

Ben narrowed his eyes a bit at the mention of Sunny but decided to hear her out. Although he had a slight suspicion he knew what she wanted to ask him.

"Yeah that's right, what I'd like to know is how we can take that bitch down like u did?" Leone interrupted.

 _"_ _Knowing her weakness would be helpful should we ever cross paths with her again."_ Akame thought to herself, her mind flashing back to their defeat.

"Well I'm sorry to say that none of you can defeat her." Ben spoke earning looks from everyone.

"Oh come on that bitch has to have a weakness!?" Leone shouted out.

"You can't be saying that she's unbeatable?" Bullat spoke up.

"Her only real weakness is her arrogance and that she's vulnerable to having her powers being drained by others, which I'm assuming no one here has a teigu with such a function?" Ben guessed earning scowls from Mine and Leone. "I thought as much. The fact is that I've seen all of your fighting skills and with the exception of the pink haired girl over there." Ben paused and pointed to Mine. "...you all utilize physical skills involving strength and speed. I'm afraid those kind of skills will be useless against Sunny. The only real way to hurt her is to use energized attacks because simple physical attacks won't work enough. So I'm sorry to say that I'm really the only one who can stop her."

The members of night raid showed their displeasure at his words, especially Akame who clenched her swords handle at being told she'll never be able to beat a target. But then a thought came to Ben, which made him to add to what he said earlier.

"But now that I think about it...my grandma gave some of you a strange seal, right?" Ben asked.

Everyone paused and looked at their hand. They could remember the seal which the grandmother of the teen hero had placed before it vanished.

"Yes. What was that about?" Leone asked.

"I...honestly don't know." Ben admitted. And with that he got everyone's attention again. "But considering it's from my grandma it might be something good. She did say it would give you guys the edge in a fight, so maybe you guess might have a chance. I don't know what it is or how you can do that, but you shouldn't worry so much about her. I'll be taking her on from now on."

No one liked hearing the last part. Ben may have good intentions, but it didn't seem to go well with the members of Night Raid. It was obvious by the scowls on some of their faces and the look of uncertainty on others like Bulat, Sheele, Tatsumi and Leone.

It didn't matter now, though. Najanda had a narrowed eye before she closed it in thought and exhaled before telling Ben he could leave now. In response, Ben complied with a nod and turned away to leave. But before walking away, he turned to look at Tatsumi and Ieyasu. Unfortunately, both teens looked away, hence giving him the cold response. So he left without a word and was out of the hideout.

"Hey, boss…" Leone called. Her eyes weren't on the woman, but at the direction Ben had gone. "Can I escort him for a bit? It won't be good if he goes on his own."

"Hmm…I'll allow it. Go." Najenda ordered.

And with that, the female assassin left the conference room for Ben. It wasn't hard for her to find the teen hero since it was just seconds ago since he left. Hence, as she saw him a few feet from the main entrance, she called to him.

"Hey, lad. Wait up." Leone said.

"Huh?" Ben responded.

Ever since the teen left, he had been in a thought of his own. But now that he was being called, he turned back and wondered what the female assassin wanted. She wasn't in her Teigu form, so it didn't mean she was there to fight him. But he became a bit more confused when he saw her walk the other way and gestured to herself.

"Follow me. There's someone I think you should meet." She said.

"Someone?" Ben questioned.

Leone said nothing back. The woman knew who she was talking about, and as such began to walk away. Not surprising Ben followed her until she came to a stop by a cliff precisely at a place where flowers were laid on the ground with two stones on top of each other.

"What is this?" Ben asked.

"Sayo was your friend, right? That is what I got from Tatsumi and Ieyasu." Leone said and turned to him. "The both of them paid their respect. You should do the same."

Ben became quiet and looked at the place. Now it all made sense to him. This wasn't just an ordinary place; it was a place where Sayo's body had been laid to rest. It was sad and guilt-bearing to the teen now that he thought about it. He even realized right there and then that he hadn't thought about her body following the incident involving Aria.

So with memories flashing in his head, the teen hero found his emotion shifting. Sadness and guilt began to take over while sorrow became the driving force. And with that, the teen hero walked a few feet towards the grave and fell on his knees with his hands clutching the dirt. He couldn't contain the tears that were forming.

"Sayo…I'm so…so sorry. I…I should've been there." He said sorrowfully. "Right now…I don't know if you really hate me like Tatsumi and Ieyasu do…I lied to you guys…I never told you the truth and because of that…you're gone. You're gone and it's all my fault…If you can hear me…just know I'm so…so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Just then, Ben felt something soft touch the back of his head. This was then followed with soft and comforting arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him close to a warm body. As such it surprised him and made him look up with tearful eyes to see Leone, who was in a kneeling position.

"You're doing fine, lad. Don't be afraid to let it out." Leone said softly. "I'm not good with comforting someone, but I feel you should be honest with yourself…so go on and don't hold back."

Ben was astonished for a brief moment. Leone never showed a soft side to him in either of the times he had met her. But here she was being someone entirely different than the person he knew. It was very comforting and assuring.

So with that, Ben let out his tears. During that time, Leone held him close and let him continue. She could understand to an extent on the way he felt. As such, she felt a strange feeling in her heart that she had not felt in a long time. It reminded her of the time she had seen Ben apologize to Aria following the incident with Alien X. Is this love? If so, is she falling for the teen hero? Maybe she is. It didn't matter now though; the young woman was fine in the position she was in with Ben.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Though it was dark and probably late, a girl and her dog were in the graveyard on their own. The weather was fine, but the emotion the girl felt was one of sadness for a specific reason. A man she had known since she was little was no more. He was dead, but had been a father figure to her when he was alive. So as she stood before his grave, she cried softly until she wiped it the tears away.

"Ogre-sama…I know it has been days, but I still miss you." Seryu said softly. "There's still so much that I don't know about that night…But I do know that Ben Tennyson and Night Raid had something to do with it…You don't have to worry about it in heaven, though. I'll find him…We're fated to meet again, I know it…As for Night Raid, I will hunt them down and make them pay. I will finish what you started…I will bring justice to all evildoers. I promise."

And with that, Imperial officer Seryu felt a resolve. Her determination was stronger than it had ever been before. So after dropping some flowers on the grave, she began to walk away with Koro by her side.

"Huh…that reminds me. I wonder what Ben's doing right now." Seryu wondered.

 **-(LINE BREAK)-**

 **And I'm done with yet another chapter.**

 **Here's a big shout out to Masamune X23**. **He's this fanfic's beta reader and this chapter's co-writer. For some time now he had done some good proof reading in some previous chapters, so that's why you don't see any grammar error most of the time. Anyway, originally like I said in the previous chapter, I mentioned this chapter wouldn't be long, but because Masamune X23 thought keeping things short wouldn't be good, I allowed him to add his own ideas to this chapter.** **So if you enjoyed this chapter, just know he's a part of the reason it was this good.**

 **Now about Seryu, I originally didn't plan on her to show up yet. But at this point we're a chapter or two away from the psycho girl making her own re-appearance, so I thought why not. Also, Esdeath is set to make another cameo appearance (from the manga this time). Look forward to that too.**

 **Now about the request for a Ben 10 and My Hero Academia, I'm actually glad some of you showed some interest in the idea. But sadly I can't do it. The thought did come to me before, but I can't seem to figure it out. Sorry.**

 **So with this chapter done, we'll be heading to the manga once again.**

 **For those who want to know about any crossover ideas I have, here they are. If you're not interested you skip all of it or just stop here.**

 **The first one is My Hero Academia and One Punch Man. The story won't feature Saitama or most of the other heroes. Instead, it will focus on Tatsumaki and her sister Fubuki with some changes. For one Tatsumaki will actually be little girl (like she is the anime/manga) as a teenage girl while Fubuki will be a younger girl. The story will follow the same plot as My Hero Academia, but with some differences and so on. I'm not sure on writing it yet. I'm really busy and still have other fanfics to deal with.**

 **The next story is Ben 10 and Attack on Titan. It will surround the event of season 1 and possibly season 2. Ben will show up at the time Eren is using his titan form to block that hole in the wall. It's been long since I watched Attack on Titan, but once I get to it that fanfic will be awesome. However, like I said in the first idea of a crossover, I am busy.**

 **So what do you guys think? Please let me know in the reviews. Also if you enjoyed this chapter please review, follow and favorite to continue supporting this. It would mean a lot.**


	19. Grief, Inner conflict and The Ice Queen?

Hey everyone! This is Man of Cartoons with yet another chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?** If you're not aware, I've published the one-shot that involved the poll I made a few weeks back. I hope you enjoy reading it. As for any review made in the story, I'll bring them up in the end of this chaptger.

Now with that out of the way, we can now get back to the Akame ga kill manga. This is based on chapter 7 of the manga, so expect some changes and a special cameo.

Now on to the chapter, scotty! (Star Trek reference)

 **CHAPTER 19: Grief, Inner conflict and…The Ice Queen?**

 _ **DREAM SEQUENCE**_

 _The wind blew smoothly in a field, with the sun at the horizon. Everything at first seemed peaceful until the moment Tatsumi turned to his right and saw a familiar person standing not far from him._

" _Ieyasu?" Tatsumi questioned._

 _Indeed, right in his line of sight, it was his best friend, Ieyasu. The teen seemed to have been staring at Tatsumi when he had called him. And considering both of them were confused, it wasn't surprising then that the spiky haired teen called Tatsumi's name in the same manner._

 _However, the strangeness didn't stop there. It was true that both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were by themselves, but it changed when a familiar face called their names._

" _Ieyasu…Tatsumi…" said the voice._

 _Like the two young men, Ben Tennyson was confused. He was standing by Tatsumi's left, some feet from him and staring at them with a similar expression. Thus, both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were surprised and confused when they saw Ben._

 _However, no word was said between them. It wasn't because they didn't want to; it was because of a very familiar female voice that instantly made them turn to their front._

" _Hey, guys…Can you stop fighting?" asked the female voice._

" _No way…" Ieyasu gasped._

 _Tatsumi almost felt like crying at that moment. The same was almost for Ben, if not for the fact that the teen felt mind blown at who they saw standing there. It wasn't any of the girls from Night Raid or Aria; it was Sayo in white robes staring at them as her hair blew nicely in the wind._

" _Hey, are you guys listening?" Sayo asked softly. She surprisingly didn't seem bothered by their expressions as she continued. "Lies hurt, I understand. But we were best friends…Don't let that fail…I love you guys, so makeup already."_

 _The boys weren't certain on what to say. The experience was shocking, as all they could do there was feel a mixed of emotions and a sense of frozenness. So Sayo continued with a humble smile._

" _Well times up…Take care of yourselves. I'll be watching." She said._

 _Just then, the entire scene seemed to start fading._

" _Sayo, wait!" shouted Ben._

" _Don't leave!" shouted both Tatsumi and Ieyasu_

 _Unfortunately, it was too late. The scene was becoming blurry until finally it disappeared entirely._

 _ **DREAM SEQUENCE ENDS**_

Tatsumi let out a gasp and sat up straight with his arm reached out. For a second, he was confused on his location until a flash image of Sayo came to mind that immediately brought grief to him.

"Ku…" Tatsumi uttered with a scowl. The dream and the image of Sayo were still fresh in his memory. So now he felt bitter about it in response. "What a…painful dream." He said.

Just then, Tatsumi heard a sleepy voice. He didn't know for certain whom it was, but he knew where it came from. Hence, when he turned to his right, he saw Sheele sitting on a chair nearby and sleeping with her head on his bed. She looked so peaceful.

"Tatsumi will be working with me today…it seems." Sheele said in her sleep. "Let's...get along…ZZZZ…"

' _A wild airhead appears…!"_ Tatsumi thought instantly.

_(LINE BREAK)_

In the conference room, Najenda, Leone and Lubbock were standing by a table. The table had some baskets of fruits such as apples, banana and grapes, which looked too good to pass away. It was a good thing then that they were from Akame, as indicated by one of the baskets being labeled as "Akame's Harvest."

Lubbock picked up an apple and munched on it. He savored the taste for a second before something he had to say made him to swallow it.

"I'm wondering if it's really smart to put Sheele in charge of Tatsumi." He said. "And why Mine? You could've had Akame or me be in charge of Ieyasu. I can already tell those two won't get along well."

"Do not worry about that." Najenda said calmly. She then munched on an apple that was in her hand.

"What makes you say that?" Lubbock asked.

Najenda answered. "It's good for Tatsumi to have a more experienced teacher. The same is for Ieyasu. The young man has to learn to get along with Mine if he is to rely on her."

"I guess so." Lubbock said with a deflated look. He then sighed and munched on the apple again. "Tatsumi and Ieyasu's weapons will take a while to make. I was hoping on taking the both of them with me so I could hear them out."

"Nu uh, Lubbock." Leone interjected with an excited smile. "I got first dibs on Tatsumi. Your lose."

"What the hell! That's so unfair!" Lubbock exclaimed and clutched his head.

"Actually…" Najenda suddenly said. "I have a mission for you."

"A mission?" Leone asked with a confused look.

What could this mission be? A part of Leone was disturbed though. The young woman had been looking forward to training the teen. But with Najenda's sudden request, she could only wonder for a brief moment on what it could be before it was revealed to her.

_(LINE BREAK)_

An hour went by before Tatsumi got in the kitchen. He was hungry since he hadn't eaten since last night. So when he got there, he saw Ieyasu sitting by himself at the dining table and eating some breakfast likely prepared by Akame. The female assassin wasn't around though, which was weird. However, that didn't stop the teen from approaching his friend.

"Hey, Ieyasu. You're up early." Tatsumi said casually.

Ieyasu looked over to his friend. "Oh, it's just you, Tatsumi." He said.

Tatsumi smiled a bit and sat across his friend. The mood was quite nice for him, considering the dream he had earlier had put him off. But then something from his friend immediately caught his attention.

"Hey, Tatsumi…do you believe in what Ben said yesterday?" Ieyasu asked.

"I'm…not sure." Tatsumi said with uncertainty. "Different worlds…the Multiverse…It sounds so crazy that it sounds unbelievable. But at the same time, it's something that just can't be made up just instantly."

"I agree." Ieyasu said calmly. Then he stared down at his food with a thought already in mind. "You know, Tatsumi, I'm glad we made it through that night in that girl's shed…With Ben leaving us for that her…the one that killed Sayo, things just felt out of place. But ever since Ben brought up those worlds, I've been wondering…do you think there's a world like ours but slightly different?"

' _A world…like ours?'_ Tatsumi was surprised. He was a bit taken aback by the question from his friend and the thought of it. _'But…now that I think of it…that shouldn't be farfetched because if what Ben says is true then there might be a world kind of like ours.'_

"Well I think there is." Ieyasu smiled. He still wasn't facing his friend, mainly because of the idealist mind he had. "I like to think that in that world Sayo actually made it…I don't know if we made it there or things are different than it is now, but still…it's comforting in a way to believe that Sayo made it through that awful night."

Tatsumi was again surprised by his friend remark. The teen found that his friend seemed much relaxed than usual. But at the same time he couldn't help but think of something else.

' _Is it possible that he…had the same dream?'_ Tatsumi thought.

A few seconds later Ieyasu raised his face at Tatsumi. His expression there didn't show any doubt or any hint that he had the same dream as Tatsumi; it was just a bright smile. And with that Tatsumi too found himself at ease.

"Yeah…Maybe there is a world like that." Tatsumi smiled.

Now both boys were in an equal feeling between each other. It was a nice pace of things since their ordeal with what happened last night. But all that changed when Tatsumi mood changed when a thought came to mind.

"By the way…Is it true that Mine's going to watch over you today?" Tatsumi asked.

Ieyasu frowned. "Way to go, Tatsumi…It was such a nice moment."

"I-I'm sorry." Tatsumi said sheepishly.

Ieyasu sighed in response and munched a bit of his food. "It's okay…" He said. "The Pink devil herself isn't up yet for some reason, so we can still talk."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu froze instantly. They knew who that voice belonged to, and thus turned to the entrance of find the certain 'pink devil' standing by the door with Sheele next to her.

' _Oh shit…I'm…I'm done for.'_ Ieyasu thought nervously.

The mood which had been somewhat peaceful was now in a troubling state. Tatsumi could see that, as well as anybody else as Mine stood there with a glare and visibly gritted teeth.

"Pink devil huh?! You just lost ten points, newbie!" Mine yelled angrily.

"Wait, there are points?" Ieyasu asked in shock.

"Another ten points gone!"

"Wait! I –"

"Fifteen points!"

"No! Wait, I'm…."

"One thousand points!"

"This is getting ridiculous!"

Tatsumi felt some sympathy for his friend. He could see how Mine's attitude there was affecting him mentally. But he couldn't say anything to ease it, partly because he didn't want to get involved with Mine's uptight attitude. As for the other reason, it revealed itself in the midst of the two arguing when Sheele approached Tatsumi with a smile on her face.

"Can we get going?" Sheele asked sweetly.

"Uh…Uh, sure." Tatsumi answered. He was a bit surprised by her attitude, considering Ieyasu and Mine were both arguing. Thus, he slyly moved his eyes towards the duo. _'She does notice the two of them arguing right?'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the woods, and close to the Imperial Capital, the home of Satou stood strongly. The place was a nice looking cottage, as nothing was off about it. It had some three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen that had what was best for the house. As for the bathroom, the plumbing it was great thanks to Ben. The teen had gone out of his way to use Greymatter and Jury Rigg to fix it up (mostly because he was tried to bathing at streams).

Presently, the mood of the people who lived there was normal. Aria was at the front chopping wood, which was proving difficult. Apparently, some time ago, Satou had approached her and 'asked' her to chop some wood that he had piled outside for firewood. And now that led to her bitterness.

' _I hate you, Satou.'_ Aria thought bitterly. _'I know you hate me to death but can't you fucking see I'm not physically strong? You could've just had Ben –"_

The girl was suddenly then interrupted. It wasn't by her means but by the door suddenly opening and closing. Hence, with a curious mind, the girl turned to it and found Ben walking away.

"Good morning, Ben!" Aria greeted.

Ben stopped and muttered some words absentmindedly. Truth be told, he had something on this mind that had led to that moment. So when he heard Aria, he turned to her with that uninterested expression and waved at her.

"Hey, Aria…I'm…I'm heading out a bit. Don't wait up." He said.

Aria was now concerned. It was obvious to her that the teen hero wasn't his usual self. And now that she recalled it, the teen hadn't been himself for some time now. The fight with Sunny had clearly been one thing, but she guessed his attitude at the moment had to do with his meeting with Night Raid.

' _Just what happened?'_ Aria questioned in her mind. _'Did they do something to you, Ben?'_

Since last night, Ben hadn't said what happened in his meeting with Night Raid. Maybe it was for the best, however Aria couldn't help but feel shaken that something big happened then. As such, she dropped the axe in her hand and ran over to the teen hero, who was now walking away.

"Ben, wait!" Aria shouted.

Ben said nothing to her. He didn't stop or react in way that said he acknowledged her. So with each step Aria took, she called out to the teen while feeling her worries grow for him. But that didn't work. Thus she reached out and grabbed the teen by his right wrist.

"Ben, wait! I'm –"

Ben immediately pulled wrist from Aria's grasp. The reaction mildly surprised the girl, mainly because she hadn't expected that. But if that wasn't enough, Ben's mood suddenly changed when he turned to her with an angry look.

"Ben, this! Ben that! Can you just shut up!?" Ben yelled angrily. He didn't seem to retain one bit of his former self at all. Hence, with a glare that could kill, the teen's anger rose. "Can't you get that I want to be alone! I had a rough night, and with that awful dream about Sayo I just –AAHHH! It's your fault! If it weren't for you Sayo would've been –"

Ben suddenly stopped. The reason for his action was because of the scene before him. Aria was no longer worried about him, but was in deep sadness just by the tears forming at his eyes. It was then at that moment that Ben snapped out of his rant and became apologetic and sad towards her.

"Sayo…I mean, Aria…."

"I'm – I'm sorry!" Aria cried out.

And with that, the blonde girl immediately ran off in tears. To Ben, the whole thing seemed to have happened so fast. He did not only feel bad for what he did but also annoyed at his reaction. But just as he made a move to run towards her, a hand landed on his shoulder and made him turn back.

"Satou." Ben said.

Satou had a firm look on his face. It was obvious that he had seen what happened between the two teenagers from wherever he had been.

"Let her go for now." Satou stated immediately.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Ben yelled. He then immediately swatted Satou's hand off his shoulder and glared at him. "I know you hate Aria for everything she's done, but –"

"But I understand that now isn't the right time." Satou interjected. He could see from his view that the teen hero was deeply worried about the girl, so he became honest and less firm. "You remind me of a young man in the navy…In fact, I think you two share a bit in common. He was always concerned about the people around him in any way he could. Of course he had a Teigu of his own that assisted him in this, so he was exceptionally skilled…But at times in the navy, it's best to take a break and figure yourself out."

"I…see." Ben said, although hesitant.

"Good." Satou said and then walked passed Ben. "Take a walk around the Capital and do what you want. Just don't bring too much attention to yourself. By the time you come back, I'm certain things between you and the girl will be fine."

"Right…"

_(LINE BREAK)_

On his own, Satou made his way to a stream. It was a mile away from his cottage and was always accessed easily at anytime. However, the reason for his going there wasn't for the water, but because of a certain blonde girl sitting by the stream and crying.

"So that's where you are." Satou said calmly.

Right at that moment, the middle aged man was standing a few feet behind her. He didn't have a look of concern or sympathy like Ben; He just had a hateful look on him.

"Leave me alone." Aria said stubbornly.

"Tsk." Satou became irritated.

For the man, there were some things he could take. However, none of them was for Aria, who he then approached from behind. Hence, before the girl knew it, he placed his right foot on her back and pushed her into the stream, much to her shock. Aria yelped and immediately stood up angrily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Aria yelled angrily.

"Me? Nothing." Satou said with a stern look. "You, on the other hand, there is so much that is wrong with you. You say you want to change for the better, but look at you crying pitifully because of some things the young lad said. Well let me tell, in the battlefield there won't be time to cry and bitch your way through. You either fight or die."

Aria was taken aback by his response. She knew a part of her shouldn't be surprised by his attitude towards her, however it couldn't be helped. Thus, she became depressed and looked down at her as the man continued.

"Sometimes I wonder why I bother." Satou said again. "You're awful at your training and you can't do anything right. Maybe it's best you should just go and die."

"Then why haven't you done it?!" Aria yelled directly at him. "Why do you put up with me?! Just stop training me and kill me? We're alone now, so there won't be a witness!"

"And risk Ben's wrath? I don't think so." Satou said calmly. "The reason I chose to train you was because of the young lad. I see talent with him, and talent like that shouldn't be wasted on the side of the empire like a country young man I once knew. I've seen the display of power Ben showed in that fight last night…It was unlike anything I've witnessed in my years at sea."

"Oh…"

"Anyway…how long do you want to cry? To be honest with you, you're doing a shitty job for someone who wants to help Ben. The kid saved your life, from my time we call that a life debt."

"A…life debt?"

"Yeah, a life debt." Satou answered. "It's exactly as it sounds…From what I've gotten, Ben saved you from Night Raid, the assassin group that has a one hundred percent kill on their targets. Basically, you owe him your life. So rather than stay there and sulk, train harder and fulfill his expectations. I would hate for that young man to feel disappointment because of you."

"I see…" Aria replied. Her voice was low as she then looked away from Satou. _"As much as I hate to admit it…I do owe Ben my life. I have no other choice.'_

With that, Aria did something unexpected of her. Satou watched, right in front of him, as she then did a bow in a humble manner. It slightly surprised him.

"Please! Train me more!" Aria shouted determinedly. "I may be small, but I want to meet Ben's expectations! I don't want to be a disappointment! So please help me in any way you can!"

"Very well…" Satou said calmly. He was still taken aback by her action, though. _'Is this still the same girl from before? The one I once served with her rotten family…Is she really gone?'_ He thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere else in the woods, Tatsumi was working hard by training in a lake. His instructor this time was Sheele, who sat on a rock nicely and watched the teen's performance. Hence, upon him concluding, the teen let out a breath and climbed on to huge rock.

"Well done swimming in that armor." Sheele said nicely.

"So heavy." Tatsumi panted. "This is hard."

Sheele was impressed. "This is the curriculum I came up with for assassin training. Since I don't have a job at the hideout, I can concentrate on training you." She said honestly.

Tatsumi was somewhat over his exhaustion. But then he was curious on what Sheele had just told him. Hence, he asked. "Why don't you have a job?"

"I got the normally cool Akame angry when I tried to cook." She said explanatory. "When I tried to do the cleaning, all I did was make a bigger mess for Bulat to clean up. Also, when I did the shopping, I mistook salt for sugar…Leone couldn't stop laughing. And when I tried to do the laundry…I carelessly washed Mine with the clothing."

"Ouch…I kind of feel sorry for Mi ne…Kind of." Tatsumi replied. A part of him did feel some sympathy for the pink hair girl, but her attitude towards Ieyasu in the morning came to her. _'I think she had that coming…with what she did to Ieyasu.'_

Just then, a thought came to the brown haired teen.

"By the way, Sheele. When I met everyone, you didn't seem too happy about me joining." Tatsumi said.

"Ehhh." Sheele responded with mild surprise. "I get the feeling there was a reason, but I've forgotten."

"Is that so?" Tatsumi asked, not surprised.

However, that didn't mean Sheele was fine with what she did then. Hence, as a show of being sorry, she went ahead to do a bow.

"Allow me to apologize and –Oh no, my glasses…"

Her glasses suddenly fell off. Tatsumi was then surprised, however it wasn't because of her glasses falling off; it was actually because at that moment, Sheele's face seemed to sparkle beautifully. Fortunately, Tatsumi was able to recover at the same time as she picked up her glasses.

"Do you mind if I ask why you're in this line of work, Sheele?" Tatsumi asked.

"It's a long story…" Sheele replied. And then she began to explain. "I grew up in the lower district of the Capital. Since I was young, no matter what I do, I was always clumsy. For me, there was nothing I could be proud of. I received many insults. However there were two people who were nice to me. One of them wanted to be friends with me even knowing how I was. As for the other person…I'll get to him later."

' _Him? It was a guy?'_ Tatsumi thought.

Sheele continued. "About that friend, no matter how clumsy I was, she would never call me stupid or insult me. The time I spent with her was the only thing I could say I liked about my life. Until one day…While I was visiting her, an angry man arrived at her door. It was her ex-boyfriend. He resented being dumped by her and started getting violent. Right in front of me, he grabbed her throat and started choking her. The man was on drugs. At the time _…"I must save her"_ was all I could think. I was surprisingly calm about it. I got a knife from the kitchen. The man wasn't on guard…so I aimed for his throat. The man died quickly. She couldn't stop shaking while staring at his body. But somehow my mind was clear."

Tatsumi was still listening. He didn't have his thoughts on the back story, mostly because the girl wasn't finished yet.

"Eventually, the incident would be ruled as an act of self-defense." Sheele continued. "One day, while I was walking through the city, a group of men suddenly appeared before me. They wanted revenge for the man I killed. It turned out he was the second in command of a local gang. They told me they killed my parents and that they were going to kill me. But while they were saying this to me, surprising as it was, my mind was once again clear. I dodged the first man's clumsy attack and used the knife I kept for self-defense to strike a vital spot. And then, using him as a shield, I proceeded to kill the other men one by one. It was then I understood…There was actually a screw loose somewhere in my mind and it made me a very talented killer."

Tatsumi wasn't troubled to hear any of this. Truth be told, he was glad that she went through with those guys, considering all that happened. But again, the girl wasn't done narrating.

"I could get rid of society's trash." She said. "This was one thing I could do so I wouldn't be considered useless, is what I thought. And then I met that man…the one who would change my life as well."

 **FLASHBACK**

The dead bodies of the men Sheele killed lay on the ground with their own blood. As for the girl, she was covered at some place of their own blood. But none of that mattered to her, she was smirking about her accomplish when suddenly she heard clapping.

"Wow! That was some killing." said a male voice. "I guess that is expected from someone like yourself…Sheele."

Sheele's eyes widened before she immediately turned the source of the voice. It turned out then that the man was behind her and with a smirk on his face. He seemed to be a man in his forties and in clothes that were somewhat odd. He had brown hair, wore a white shirt under a green coat and black pants and black and white shoes.

"Anyway…." The man then said. "You may be wondering who I am, so if we can – Oh shit."

At the last part, the man's eyes widened. The reason for his change in attitude was because Sheele was charging towards him with her knife in her grip. Thus, with quick reflex, the man jumped back just in time to avoid a swing of Sheele's knife to his stomach. However, his move didn't deter the future assassin, who then charged at him faster than before and swing upward for his chin.

Fortunately, the man seemed faster than he looked. He showed this by moving his head back, just as the young girl had attacked him. Then, before Sheele knew it, he jumped back and raised both his arms to his chest level, revealing two green gauntlets.

"I didn't want to do this, but…Ulti-Biomnitrix flash!"

Suddenly, a bright light shined from the twin gauntlets. It happened suddenly, as not even Sheele could anticipate that she would be blinded by it. Thus, before she knew it, the man gripped her wrist and forced her to let go of the knife, with the light then dying down to reveal him standing directly before her.

"So…you wanna talk or not?" The man asked.

However, Sheele said nothing to him. Her arm was still gripped by the man, as apparent as it was. But then it seemed the man had something in mind as he then used his other hand to push into his coat and pull out a paper.

"The men you faced were clumsy. I'm not like them." He said to her. "Trust me, if I wanted it, you wouldn't be standing alive right now. Now if you can calm down for a bit…read this letter. It's from your mother." He said.

"My mother?" Sheele questioned.

And with that, the man let go of Sheele's arm. He then handed the girl the paper and watched as she read the words in it until then putting it down.

"How?" Sheele asked.

"I saved them." The man answered. "I ran into some of the guys sent to kill your folks and dealt with them. The authorities should be able to pick them up soon, but I can't say you should meet your parents just yet. The local gang would likely go after them, so I told them to get out of the Capital. At first they weren't certain, but by the fact I saved their life, they agreed. You won't be able to see them for a while…that is if you didn't want to. You didn't seem bothered that those guys you killed told you they killed them."

Sheele said nothing to him. There may be a part of her that was glad to hear that her parents were fine, however it didn't show on her face.

"Anyway, you have some talent there. You can be very useful."

"Useful?" Sheele questioned. Hearing that word was like the first time she heard it from someone.

"Yeah." The man said. "I don't support reckless killing, but with the way the empire is becoming, you may not have much of a choice. So if you want to make it, wait for the good people to scout you. I can assure you that your life will change for the better."

"Good people?" Sheele questioned. "Who are you talking about?"

"You'll see in due time." The man smirked. "I have a…sense of the future."

However, Sheele was confused. She also failed to realize that what the man said there were basically time puns. But then again, before she could ask again, loud shouts of Imperial guards made her turn back and then back at the man. However, he was already gone.

 **FLASHBACK END**

"He just vanished?" Tatsumi questioned.

Up to this point, the teen had been interested by Sheele's narration. Also, for some reason, the man Sheele just mentioned seemed to remind him of a similar person that Mine had told him in her own flashback. However, he wasn't certain of the connection and as such felt confused.

"Yes…at least that is how it seemed." Sheele answered. "Not long after that…I was scouted by the revolutionary army to carryout assassinations."

"And that's why you came up with this assassination curriculum, huh…?"

"Correct." Sheele answered. "Because I didn't have the fighting skills of someone like you."

' _Everyone has their circumstances hmmm.'_ Tatsumi thought to himself.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **SEVERAL DAYS LATER**

Everyone except for Leone was once again assembled in the conference room. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were before the boss, who had a certain Teigu in her hand. It was the very one that Zank had used, which was now in Night Raid's possession.

"We were able to obtain Zank's Teigu from Ben Tennyson thanks to Leone's effort." Najenda announced. "However, we are yet to confirm a permanent alliance with him. I still have some digging to deal with. So with that out of the way, I want Tatsumi or Ieyasu to try out this Teigu."

"Really?!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu exclaimed happily.

"So no one wants it?" Ieyasu asked.

"It's one Teigu per person." Bulat stated with a smirk.

"That is because it takes considerable mental and physical strength to control them." Lubbock added.

Tatsumi was then picked to try it out first. He was excited for it, of course, but found some fault in its appearance. Nonetheless, he placed it at his forehead and tried using it a first and then a second time, which didn't go well as he had hoped. The Teigu did work, but by showing him the underwear of Akame, Sheele and Mine before then rejecting him, much with a sudden feel of exhaustion.

Fortunately, Akame was able to rush over and remove the thing from his forehead.

"It's the compatibility…" Najenda stated with mild disappointment. "It seems this Teigu isn't suited to you."

Just then, Mine approached the fallen teen with a direct look.

"You were thinking about how uncool it looked or something, weren't you?" She asked rhetorically. "The user's first impression of the Teigu is important, you know?"

"Then give me a try!" Ieyasu said excitedly. He immediately had everyone's attention, with his wide smirk then showing. "Tatsumi may have failed, but I won't!"

Akame stood up with the Teigu in her hand. She took a second to glance over at Ieyasu and then at Najenda, who gestured her to go ahead. Thus, with no hesitance, the female assassin handed the Teigu into Ieyasu's hand.

"If it rejects you, do not push yourself." Akame instructed him.

"Don't worry, Akame. I got this," Ieyasu said calmly. He then lifted the Teigu up to his forehead and placed it there. "Now then…let's go –AAAHHHHHH!"

Everyone was immediately at alert. Before, Ieyasu seemed very confident of himself when he had gotten the Teigu, however that didn't seem to be the case now. The teen now seemed to be in pain.

"Get it off him!" Najenda ordered.

Akame immediately moved to take it off. She was still directly in front of him when he had reacted the way he could. But as her hand reached to it, the teen suddenly stopped screaming and held up his hand at Akame for her to stop. Then, with a grin he said. "Just kidding. I got you guys, didn't I?"

No one found his action funny. The looks he got weren't smiles; they were glares that clearly showed their annoyance.

' _Idiot! I knew he was stupid from the start!'_ Mine thought.

"Hey! Who are you calling stupid, midget!" Ieyasu yelled angrily at Mine.

"Midget?!" Mine scowled angrily. "Who you calling a – wait…" She suddenly became surprised. "You heard my thought?"

"You damn right I did! You better sleep tonight with one eye open!"

Mine shot a glare at him. She didn't like teen's threat, even though it wasn't to her life. But before anything else could be said, Najenda spoke up.

"Congratulations, Ieyasu. You have your very own Teigu."

"Yup!" Ieyasu smirked. He tapped the Teigu on his forehead and then turned to Tatsumi. "Sorry, Tatsumi. You snooze, you lose."

"Hmph…You won this one, Ieyasu." Tatsumi smirked. He was back on his feet and had his arms crossed over his chest. "But just know I'll get a cooler Teigu. You'll see."

"I bet I will."

"By the way…" Tatsumi turned over to Najenda. "What would've happened if none of us were compatible with the Teigu?"

"Then it would've been taken to the revolutionary army's headquarters where it would've been analyzed to be a part of the fighting force." Najenda answered

Akame then took over to explain.

"While we are an assassination team, collecting the lost Teigu is one of our sub-missions." She said. "When we run into enemies who possess a Teigu like Zank did, we take them…even the weakest of them is invaluable."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu instantly understood.

"So what you're saying is…" Tatsumi said.

"The more we have, the stronger the army becomes or something, right?" Ieyasu added.

"Correct." Najenda answered. She had a book in her hand that she then handed over to Tatsumi. "You two should read the book of the known Teigu."

Tatsumi opened the book and got a view of some of the Teigu displayed. He recognized some of them to belong to Leone, Mine and Sheele, while the others were ones he didn't know. As for Ieyasu, the teen himself looked over Tatsumi's shoulder to get a view of them.

"Wow…so much…" Ieyasu said in mild astonishment. "Is my Teigu in this book?"

"I think so." Najenda answered.

Tatsumi then asked. "This is a small portion of them, right?"

"Correct." Najenda answered. "The ones in that book are only the Teigu we know about."

Tatsumi closed the book. It was useful, but the current moment wasn't right to study the Teigu. Ieyasu understood this also, as he took the book from his best friend and held on to it. But then another thought came to Tatsumi.

"Speaking of Teigu, which one is the strongest?" He asked.

Najenda grew silent. She had an idea on what that would be, but felt slightly hesitant. Fortunately, she was able to overcome the silence with a firm but troubled look.

"Their use and compatibility change, but if I had my say the ice manipulation Teigu…is what I think." She said. "Originally, I believed the Omnitrix was a Teigu that could surpass that Teigu, but with…those revelations from last night, the Teigu I just mentioned remain the strongest in my opinion. Luckily for us, its user is currently busy conquering the Northern Tribes."

And so, the explanation went on about the ongoing war with the Northern Tribes. Apparently, the region had become a threat to the empire that an expeditionary forces to deal with them. But it would appear it won't be easy because the Northern Tribes had a hero named Numa Seika, who was known to wield a spear and never lose a battle.

"But there's no need to worry yet." Lubbock said with certainty. "Even with that woman, it'll take at least a year or two to take the north."

Najenda then smirked. "And when she does return that is when young Tennyson will be needed. If his Omnitrix is indeed the most powerful device in the universe, he'll take her on and win in the name of the revolutionary army. Then we'll have her executed…one way or the other."

"Ben won't accept that." Ieyasu stated straightly. "I don't mean to be rude but you never told him that you'll want the woman dead."

"I didn't mention it because we know his nature." Najenda said calmly. "That is why I want any Night Raid member available to be close by when the fight happens. Then once it is over and Tennyson emerges the victor I want whoever that is there to eliminate her. We will deal with Tennyson if the need comes."

Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Tatsumi were surprised by Najenda's plan. It sounded good, but it made one to wonder if it'll go as smoothly as they hope. Ben certainly wasn't a killer, but it's likely he won't take a stab in the back as a good thing either. But there was nothing that could be said against the boss's plan, not that any of them felt a need for it.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Tatsumi said. His mind was a bit on the issue with Ben until another thought came to mind. "By the way, a Teigu comes with unique abilities, right? So that means the stronger the enemy, the better. We're collecting more and more Teigu after all."

Everyone immediately shifted their gaze over to Tatsumi. His tone had sounded subtle, but it was a bit too exciting for any of them to ignore. The look on his face showed it, as he now had a smirk on his face.

"You're obviously cheerful. Why is that?" Mine asked.

Tatsumi turned to the boss and faced everyone else.

"Well the world is filled with Teigu that have unknown abilities right? The reason I'm so lively is this!" Tatsumi said. It was noted then by everyone that he seemed more determined, especially as his grin showed. "I was thinking…having seen these abilities…maybe…just maybe…there may be a Teigu that has the ability to bring dead people back to life! Right!?"

A dark atmosphere immediately filled the room. Everyone now understood the teen's sudden determination and eagerness, including Ieyasu who even gave Tatsumi a serious look. However, the brown haired teen didn't seem to notice any of this.

"If there is one, I may be able o bring Sayo back! That's why I'm going to do all I can to recover as many Teigu as po-"

"You can't." Bulat interjected.

"Bro?" Tatsumi questioned. He was surprised by Bulat's sudden rejection of his idea. However, there was no denying the fact that the stylish haired man had a serious look on his face.

"A Teigu that resurrect the dead doesn't exist." Bulat told him. "In this world…or in any world…you only get one life."

"How…" Tatsumi suddenly became angry. "How can you say that!? You can't! Not until we've found them, right?! I mean Ben can do a lot of things with his Omnitrix, so it shouldn't be –"

"Ben Tennyson is an anomaly." Lubbock interjected with a serious tone. "You have faith in him, however even he hasn't displayed the power to raise a person back to life. It is either because he can't or he refuses not to. But I doubt the latter."

"Besides…" Akame said to add her own words. "the current emperor is a good example of the non-existence of such a Teigu. If it did exist, the first emperor will still be ruling."

"The reason is obvious when you think of it." Bulat said. "It was because the first emperor knew he would someday have to die that he created the Teigu in the first place."

Tatsumi was shocked. He felt in that moment that his hopes had dropped in that very moment. But if that wasn't enough, even Ieyasu had something to say.

"I thought of it before but…it's impossible." Ieyasu said with a serious tone. "Raising the dead is an act of a god…no Teigu…not even Ben can accomplish something like that. You have to let it go, Tatsumi. I had to…Sayo is gone."

"But…" Tatsumi uttered.

"Don't hang your hopes on that." Akame said suddenly. She too had a serious look on her face as she continued "If you do, an enemy will use that weakness of mind against you. And you…will be killed."

Tatsumi mentally took the warning in, but it didn't mean it was well. The teen was obviously in pain that he had to hold in. But even as he tightened his fist in a display of bottled up emotion, Sheele and Ieyasu understood his pain and were concerned,

_(LINE BREAK)_

"A FIRE!"

"SOMEONE QUICK, CALL HELP!"

"HEY! I SEE SOME PEOPLE ON THE GROUND! THEY SEEMED UNCONSCIOUS!"

"GET HELP!"

Somewhere in the Capital, there was a fire on a building. Those who lived close by knew the building was used for all sorts of drugs; however it was unknown who was the cause of the fire. As for the unconscious men on the ground, there were thugs and drug dealers that were normally in charge of such a building.

So while Imperial guards could be seen rushing to the building, there were passersby who spoke among themselves.

"Hey, you saw that right?" asked one guy to another man.

"Yeah." answered the guy. "That flame covered man. I saw him fly out of the building just now."

"Wow." replied the guy. "But he has that hexagon symbol just like the other creatures from the past weeks."

"That scares me." said the guy. "His symbol also matches those barriers from the Dark Scare."

Ben Tennyson overheard them with a gloom look on his face. _'The Dark Scare huh? I guess that's what they're calling it.'_ He thought.

The Dark Scare was the incident involving Alien X. No one knew the truth about it or the person that was responsible for it. However, suspicions had risen ever since Ben had taken his heroic acts to the Capital, with mixed from the citizens. But right at the moment, the teen couldn't be bothered. He was in his own mood, which immediately made him to turn away with his arms in his coat's pocket, and start walking away.

' _I went to that warehouse a while ago…kicked some butts and burned it all down…I didn't mean to cause this much trouble, but it's not like this is the first time I came across that building…The same bad guys keep using the place for bad stuff…I had no other choice…'_ Ben thought deeply. _'And now that I think about it…all this crime…is that all I can do? Some of the guys I beat up keep coming back…Sure that wasn't a serious problem in my world…but in a place like this…where killers and psychopaths are just about everywhere it's…unsettling…Sure I could do more, but won't it be overstepping my boundaries as a hero? It's been over a month now and I haven't even met any of the bad guys that runs the empire…Can I still call myself a hero? No…No, that's not right…I'm a hero…I've saved lives…People here are beginning to look up to me…while there are some that are scared of me…but even with that…something just feels off.'_

Ben then sighed. _'I think I get it now…The reason I feel like this is because…even with all this…I haven't moved a step closer to stopping the empire…I'm out of my own element…In other words…_ _ **I haven't done a single thing**_ _.'_

With that Ben Tennyson continued to walk away. The air around him felt uncertain as his inner self seemed to be in conflict over his actions. He was in a world completely different void of the morality he was brought up with and the lifestyle he had known. Thus, it was in his time of gloom that a certain blonde watched from his back, some meters away, with a concerned look on her face.

' _What's with him?'_ Leone thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Time went on even with night finally coming to stay. The day had been filled with a lot of emotions, as those involved in them had learned. So it was in the late of night that both Sheele and Ieyasu found Tatsumi sitting by a cliff with his back at them.

"Tatsumi, you're still awake." Ieyasu said.

Tatsumi didn't turn back to face them. He knew by Ieyasu's voice that it was his best friend, though the same couldn't be said for Sheele. But the young woman was still there and watching as he then spoke.

"I was happy…" He said with a sad tone. "I thought that I could possibly bring her back…Ben brought you back, so why couldn't I?"

Ieyasu wanted to say something. However, he was stopped by Sheele who held her arm at him. And thus the teen continued.

"I thought that as long as there was even a small possibility, I still had hope...but…"

Finally, Tatsumi couldn't hold his grief anymore. He had tried before and has been successful at it for the duration of the time. However, now he couldn't hold it in. And so he began to cry as he tried his fists on his lap.

"I knew it. We'll never see her again. I should have given up, but…I just…"

"Tatsumi…" Sheele muttered.

The level of sympathy for Tatsumi grew with each passing second. Ieyasu was able to understand the feelings of his best friend because he too missed their female friend by their side. It was obvious on his face, as even tears began to slowly rush down his cheeks. But before he could say something, Sheele made her own move. The young woman suddenly had Tatsumi in an embrace from behind as she was kneeling on the ground with his head on her chest.

"She-Sheele?" Tatsumi expressed in shocked.

"We'll keep this a secret from everyone else." Sheele said with a caring tone. "It's okay to cry as much as you need,"

Ieyasu was a bit surprised by her words, with the same for Tatsumi. The teen had thought about intervening before Sheele had stepped in. But then a comforting thought made him smile before making he then made a turn and began walking away.

' _Tatsumi, you've met another good person…I'm happy to know that.'_ Ieyasu smiled. _'At least I know…if I'm not around anymore there will still be people like her watching over you.'_

And so, with that, Ieyasu made his way back to the hideout. Tatsumi and Sheele shared their moment, as the young woman allowed the teen to cry out his grief while still in her embrace. She didn't mind it though, because she was happy. Tatsumi made her feel that she was good for something else after all.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **NORTHERN LANDS**

Somewhere in the northern region from the empire, there was a fortified city. This city had fought against a battle with the empire's expeditionary forces with everything they've got. But sadly, even with all their best effort, they lost terrible to the mighty force they met.

And so it was with heavy hearts that the people experienced what then became of their city. Their streets were littered with people encased in ice and some decapitated of their arms and legs tied to poles either dead or halfway there. As for their proud hero, Numa Seika, he was stripped naked and licking the boot of the mighty woman of the empire, General Esdeath, like a dog.

"The Northerners were defeated in a blink of an eye. That's our general for you!" said one soldier.

Numa Seika panted like a dog with his tongue out. He wasn't the man he once was; he was below that in the eyes of everyone, including Esdeath. The woman seemed displeased by him.

"Their army, people and pride were so easy to crush huh…" Esdeath said with disappointment. "And this is their supposed hero…? How worthless."

Just then, the Empire's strongest did something unexpected. She used that same boot the former hero had licked hungrily to kick him so hard at the head, killing him instantly.

"Die! Dog!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

Some of the blood of the man flew in the air and touched a few soldiers faces. But it didn't matter. There were even some bloods on the woman's boot especially as she then stood up.

"Where is the response for the request I sent for?" She asked.

"Right here, general." said one soldier.

Amongst the other soldiers, one man emerged. He was dressed just like everyone, but with a rolled up paper in his hand as he gave it to Esdeath. The empire's strongest then read the content in it before a grin spread on her face and she closed it.

"I'm returning to the Capital!" Esdeath announced.

A few minutes later the soldiers were standing in line. They had heard the words of their general and were in full attention as she stood before them with a grin on her face.

"Somewhere in the Capital, there is someone that might satisfy me." Esdeath said with mild excitement. "The one responsible for the Dark Scare; Will you give me the thrill of battle I long for? I honestly can't wait."

 **NAME: ESDEATH**

 **PERSONALITY: SADIST**

 **STRENGTH LEVEL: "THE EMPIRE'S STRONGEST"**

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the woods, Ben shuddered a bit.

' _What was that?'_ Ben thought with an awakened look. He was alone in a field and standing in place with a confused look on his face as he stared at the full moon. _'The night is cold but…it wasn't the night cold…It feels like something big is coming…something really dangerous.'_

 **_(LINE BREAK)_**

 **And with that, I end this chapter. Thank you so much for reading this chapter, it means a lot. I had some original things I wanted to add to this chapter, but thought not to add them due to being long or not at the right time.**

 **If you're not aware of it, Wave actually got two mentions in this chapter by Satou. Both Wave and Satou have a history together that I plan on revealing as the fanfiction goes. Also, what did you think of Ben 10,000's cameo in Sheele's flashback? There's a reason why he keeps showing up, so expect the truth behind it to be revealed in later chapters.**

 **So I've noticed some of you are eager for my idea on a Ben 10 and Attack on Titan crossover. Well honestly it is just an idea that I don't feel like getting into yet. But seeing as you guys want one, I'm going to take a reviewer's suggestion and set up a poll based on the version of Ben you want. In other words it'll be like this "Which version of Ben 10 do you want in a possible Attack on Titan and Ben 10 crossover?"**

 **If the number of votes is more than I estimate it will be then I'll give the crossover a shot and see how it goes from there.**

 **Also, about the one-shot I created that involved Ben and Sayo, thank you for showing your support of it. However, I have no current plan on getting to do more chapters. The concept itself is great and I've already thought of chapters for them (because I was bored), but I've been too busy to add more fanfictions. I still have other fanfictions I need to work on, and with a possible Attack on Titan and Ben 10 crossover in mind, I don't know if I can get to doing a whole fanfiction based on the idea. I still appreciate your reviews and requests, so thank you.**

 **So….Esdeath has finally made her big debut and upon that we're getting close to the inevitable battle between Sheele, Mine and Seryu. It's not in the next chapter, though. It's in the chapter after the next one. But Seryu will still show up in the next chapter. How will that go? You'll have to see and find out.**

 **Once again, thank you for reading this chapter. Please review, favorite and follow this fanfic for more chapters. Bye.**

 **P.S. A bit of a foreshadowing involving the next two chapters was in this chapter. Good luck figuring it out.**


	20. Inner Conflict, Dognapped and more?

Hello everyone! Did you miss me? I bet you did…well for this fanfiction anyway.

Now before getting to the chapter, I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorite. The same also goes for those who voted in my poll for a Ben 10 and Attack on Titan crossover. I've released the results in my profile and posted it at the end of this chapter for you guys to see. As for further comment on it, read the end of the chapter.

Anyway, some of you may be wondering why I haven't posted for weeks now. Well the reason is because of university and the fact that I've started a new fanfiction called The Esper of U.A. It's one of the fanfictions I suggested I wanted to do a few chapters back. And from the looks of it, it may be the most popular fanfiction I've ever written. However, be rest assured that I've not forgotten this fanfiction. I just started writing the other one because I wanted to break away from the Ben 10 writing for a while.

Now with that out of the way, here's another awesome chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

 **Chapter 20: Inner Conflict, A Dognap and…the Inevitable?**

On another sunny day, Ben Tennyson was walking through the streets of the Capital. He didn't have a particular reason for it, other than to explore the other areas of the place in order to get a view of the world he was in. But maybe it was for the best he didn't. It had already been an hour and already he could see sad people, from those causally walking by, to the poor trying to keep up with life.

' _What a mess…'_ Ben thought sadly. _'But still…what have I been doing? Nothing I do seem to make an impact. Is this really something I can fix?'_

"Hey, Tennyson!"

Ben stopped and turned back. He knew that voice very well, and as such when he turned back he saw a familiar blonde woman heading towards him.

"Leone, you're here?" questioned the teen hero. He was surprised to see the assassin walking towards him, particularly out in the open.

"Yup! Got any problem with that?" Leone asked.

"Uh…no." Ben answered.

By now Leone was directly in front of the teen hero when he had responded. However, just as he had said those words, he suddenly turned away, which got the woman's attention and made her a bit serious.

"Are you doing okay, lad? You seem to be doing a lot of thinking lately." Leone said.

"Lately?" Ben questioned. He was surprised by the way the woman figured him out, and thus turned to her. "You've been watching me?"

"More or less." Leone answered. "So what's got you so sad? This isn't like you…well most of the times."

Ben sighed and turned away. His shock earlier had changed as he had chosen to shrug what Leone said. As a result, a frustrated look was on his face, especially as he then decided to leave.

"It's nothing an assassin would know. Now leave me –"

"Not happening, lad." Leone suddenly interjected.

Next thing Ben knew, the woman grabbed his wrist. It wasn't his Omnitrix wrist, but his right wrist which she had caught instantly. So in response Ben turned back to the woman in mild surprise, only to then see a scolding look on her face.

"I don't let my mark leave so easily. Now talk." Leone stated boldly.

Ben said nothing in response. He sent a scowl back at the female assassin in response and then forcefully removed his hand wrist from the woman's grip. But then, after a sigh, the teen seemed to calm down as he then used his hand to rub his forehead.

"You're really not going to let it go huh?" Ben asked.

"I could…." Leone said and crossed her arms under her chest. "But knowing you, this must be big. You shouldn't bottle up your emotions, kid. It's not healthy. Now come on. There's a place I want to show you. We can talk while heading there."

"Uh…okay."

And so, the teen hero followed her. He had given up on trying to exclude himself from Leone, who just seemed to be up on his case. Hence, as they began to walk, the female assassin once again asked him about his problem, to which he felt less reluctant to say back.

"Well…it's kind of something that has been bugging me." Ben said.

"Yeah…I already figured that out." Leone replied. She had a laidback attitude on her as she continued. "You know…after that fight in the woods, I kind of thought that you were this force that was hard to take down. It pissed me off, but now I get it…Even with the 'most powerful device in the universe', you're still vulnerable to other things like any reasonable human being."

"Is that okay to say in the open?" Ben asked. "I mean the part about my watch."

"It kind of is." Leone replied. "That's another reason I wanted us to walk. No one pays close attention to those who are minding their own business."

"That's true…" Ben admitted. From there he became gloomy. "Anyway…my problem is my power…"

"Huh?! How's that a problem?" Leone asked. She was mildly shocked.

"Well it's not my power to say…It's just how I've been handling it." Ben admitted subtly. "With the Omnitrix, I'm able to do so many things…but yet…in this world…this Capital…I feel like I haven't done much with it. Heck, even in my home world, I've felt like this…this feeling of powerlessness. Weird, right?"

"I don't follow."

Ben sighed. "I'm sorry." He replied. "Well think of it like this. I have the power to do a lot of good…and yet even with it, there hasn't been an impacting change here. The criminals I've stopped, both here and in my world, have always found a way to break out and cause trouble…At first this was annoying since it reminded me of my world…but here it's different. This world is run by monsters…worse than most of the bad guys I've dealt with…I guess this new reality worries me and makes me realize just what kind of a hero I am...I now wonder if this sense of loss is a result of being here…This feeling of living in a completely different world from everyone else…As the path I chose myself, there might be nothing I can do about it but…to think that the path of a hero would be so lonely,"

Leone was troubled, but at the same time in mild awe. Here was a teen with the most powerful device that was ever seen, feeling such a mood that would've made one think was beyond him. But rather than question it, Leone went with a different approach.

"Being alone can suck…I know that feeling." Leone said softly. Then a thought came to her that made her grab Ben by the hand, much to his shock. "Let's go a bit faster. I really want to show you the place."

"Wait, hold on."

It was too late for the teen hero, however. It was unknown if Leone chose to ignore him or wasn't listening to him at the time. As a result, the teen was taken fast to a part of the Capital that he hadn't seen before. But if that wasn't enough, there were people calling out to Leone in either greetings or any form of compliments.

' _Leone must be popular around here.'_ Ben guessed. _'But still…this place seems rundown compared to the places I've seen…and yet these people are happy?'_

"Surprised huh?" Leone suddenly spoke up. She followed those of her words by letting go of Ben and then facing him. "You've probably noticed how livelier the people are here compared to the average slums. Well that's because these peoples' souls are as strong as weeds, especially when they have to struggle to survive."

"Okay and what does that have to do with me being here?" Ben asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Leone rhetorically asked. "I was born and raised here. You can say this is my hometown. I even made a name for myself by working in a local massage parlor. So in the years I was stuck around here, I've seen some struggles these people have to make. But lately, good luck seemed to smile on them…and it's all thanks to you."

"Me?" Ben asked, surprised. "How can this be me?"

Leone smirked. "You're cute when you're so oblivious. But I guess I don't blame you." She said. "You probably don't remember, but a few weeks back you stopped a bunch of corrupt Imperial guards who went about collecting money. They basically made themselves the tax collectors even if their ways were illegal…But even though they got out of jail with a pat on the back, they switched their method of criminality. Now this people can rest a bit easier with them gone."

"Yeah…I guess." Ben said and frowned. "I just wish I could've done more."

Leone became quiet for a few seconds. She didn't like the tone of the teen hero, however in a sense she couldn't blame him. As such, her attitude became serious when she spoke.

"Listen, Tennyson. One of the many things I've learned in life is this. You can either do something about the problem in your life or do nothing about it. And if you think that you doing that something as a person isn't enough then try another tactic and see how that goes. I'm never one to give up…and I'll never be one to give up, so the same should go for you."

The teen hero said nothing. He was surprised and astonished by Leone's words considering his outlook on her had been anything but the advisory type. But then, if that wasn't enough, she continued.

"Tennyson, aren't you confusing responsibility with incapability and failure?" Leone asked rhetorically. "I don't know what being a hero is about, but I know that way of thinking is wrong. As an assassin, I can't give you moral free tips. But I think I can give you a solution to your problem."

"And what's that?" Ben questioned.

"Stop blaming yourself." Leone answered straightforwardly. "Trying to attain a sense of achievement should be the least of your concerns. Shouldn't defending and helping those in need be enough for you? Besides, there's no denying the fact that the Omnitrix is crazily powerful to be a tool of a god. But still you're human…and when you think of it, you could say that you still have room to grow…not as an assassin, not as a killer, not as a god, but as a human being. So now that I think of it, don't you think that believing you haven't done enough was something stupid and ignorant born out of inexperience…? Now I get you want to stop the empire once and for all, but to be honest with you, if you carry that inexperience and knock on the door of the Imperial palace, you may regret it...in more ways than you'll know."

"Huh…I never thought of that." Ben admitted.

Leone smiled a bit. "But don't worry about it." She said. "You're a good kid with a big heart, Tennyson. Don't let this capital corrupt you, don't let it change you to the kind of man you'll regret to be and never, and I do mean never, let anyone change who you are. I see something big in you. I want to keep seeing how you live your life."

Ben was completely astonished by Leone's advice. Each word she had said seemed to hold some truth, as well as honesty and a strong sense of belief. In fact, it was so strong that Ben felt them changing his outlook of things, as well as cause his fist to shaken as he tightened it.

"You're right." Ben said confidently. The grim and gloom he had once possessed seemed to have been erased as he continued. "Even though I've been a hero for years now, I still a long way to go. But I promise you…I won't fail. I will do the best I can and live up to everyone's expectations."

"I'm glad to hear that, kid." Leone smiled.

Ben Tennyson was happy to hear her response. Leone had once again proven to be someone different than he would've thought. However, before he could thank her, he noticed three men running to their direction, behind Leone, and became confused. Fortunately, he didn't have to ask about their intention because they then brought it up.

"There she is!" shouted one of the guys.

"It's Leone!" shouted another of them.

And then it became worse as the men increased their speed. The looks on their faces showed how angry they were upon seeing at the blonde, especially as they continued.

"I'll have you pay your drinking bill!" shouted one of them.

"It's time to pay your gambling debts!" shouted the middle man.

"I want the money you scammed off my brother!"

Leone immediately ran off. Her action surprised Ben, as he hadn't expected it. However, rather than face the men, he ran as fast he could next to her with new mixed feelings.

"You give great advice, but you're still a crook!" Ben shouted.

"Haha! I never said I was a saint!" Leone laughed.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **IMPERIAL PALACE: AUDIENCE ROOM**

A bunch of important government officials stood firmly by according to their rank. At the same time, in the middle of them, directly in front of the emperor's throne, there was an officer in armor that was bowing down before the ruler of the empire. However, the news he had weren't good to hear.

"It's about generals Nakakido and Hemi." The officer stated. "They are gone. They have joined the rebel army."

Every official (other than the Emperor and Prime Minister) in the room was shocked. The two generals the officer had mentioned were well respected men. So hearing about their betrayal was also fearful.

"The military genius, Nakakido has…" said one official.

"This will make the rebel army a much bigger threat." said another official in fear.

"If we don't get a handle on this, the empire…" said skeptically another official.

However, before anything could be said further by that man, the emperor boldly stood up and stretched out his hand.

"Do not let your thoughts run away with you!" The Emperor stated boldly. "After all, they are down in the south…we can deal with them at any time. The rebels gathering together just mean they will be easier to clean up!"

The Emperor then turned to the Prime Minister. "…So did I handle that well, Prime Minister?"

The Prime Minister was chewing on a huge piece of meat in his mouth. He didn't seem to mind or care that it was inappropriate as it seemed not to concern him. The same could be said for the emperor because he was looking hopefully like a child waiting to be praised by a grownup, which was the present case.

"Ufu Fu." The Prime Minister uttered. He had a grin on his face as he continued chewing on his meat. "As always, Your Majesty is a mountain of calm in a sea of chaos. We have a closer problem than some far away rebel army. Night Raid has been a thorn on the empire's side, especially with the assassination of the Imperial guard and my own relative, Iyokaru. I want them dealt with so badly…! I've been so obsessed with this, I've gained weight…!"

"…Well what of them?" The Emperor asked. "Are there not professionals searching for their hideout!?"

"They haven't been in contact." The Prime Minister replied. By this point, he was done with his stake. "They're probably dead. But still…Night Raid seems to be one of the major problems we have."

The Emperor knew exactly who the Prime Minister meant. In fact, just the thought of it made his heart sink a bit. However, it didn't matter because the Prime Minister said it anyway.

"For a weeks now, our Capital has been overrun by a criminal! Already, people are calling him a hero when in reality he's a deadly law breaker that I suspect is responsible for that night the Capital was paralyzed by those barriers…the night we now call the Black Scare! I want him found and dealt with much more than Night Raid for what he put me through that night! To think that I was kept in a barrier like a captive in such a shameful manner makes me angry! That is why I have a plan to deal with him and Night Raid!"

"Oh?" The Emperor was curious.

And with that, the Prime Minster continued, this time with his scowl showing. "I've already called in someone reliable to help me express my uncontrollable rage! The one who recently succeeded in subjugating the northern tribes. Ironically, she requested information on the very Black Scare and seems very interested in dealing with the one responsible! Thus, I have requested that **General Esdeath** to return to the capital."

Everyone (except the emperor) was shocked, even more than before. General Esdeath was known to be a deadly high ranking official who even trumped General Budo in terms of physical powers. So it came as no surprise then that one of them came forward in protest.

"B-But General Budo is in command of the Capital forces, is he not!?"

The Prime Minister answered. "As much as the general's hard work is commendable, the threat that walks the streets while claiming to be a hero is too dangerous to leave in his arms. Besides…I'm sure his experience is better focused on other important matters."

"Esdeath, hmmm…" The Emperor said. He had a thoughtful look on his face as he continued. "She is a hero that rivals the power of General Budo. I'm relieved!"

"She is the ice hearted woman who executed 400,000 enemies by burying them alive!" The Prime Minister added. However, he didn't stop there. He continued, but this time his body showed the monster he truly was in the eyes of the officials. " **Night Raid and this Teigu user are getting stronger day by day! She will hunt them all down and kill them**!"

_(LINE BREAK)_

The air running in and out of Ben's lungs were in a rush as he ran for what felt like an hour. The debtors that Leone clearly pissed off had been chasing them for some time now. However, upon looking back, he saw that they were gone, and thus came to a stop.

"Phew…! It sure looks like they aren't chasing us anymore, Leone." The teen hero said.

However, there was then a problem. Ben had expected to hear the female assassin respond in some manner at that very much. But after a pause, he looked around and was shocked to find that he was on his own.

"Damn! We must've gotten separated!" Ben exclaimed.

True to his words, the teen hero was right. Leone was nowhere to be seen, no matter where he frantically turned to look for her. But after that moment passed, he let out a sigh and relaxed a bit, with his hands then dug into his coat's pockets.

"Oh well…I'm sure she's fine. I should probably figure my way from here." The teen hero said to himself.

Unknown to the teen hero, however, he was now being watched. A certain young woman with auburn hair had been making her usual route as an Imperial guard when she had caught sight of the teen hero. Now a sense of seriousness resonated from her and immediately made her run towards the teen with her dog-like Teigu flailing in the air from her leash on him.

"I've found you!" She shouted.

"Huh?"

A sense of confusion was on Ben's face before he turned. But then, upon casting his eyes on the one who shouted, the teen became wide eyed.

"S-Seryu!?" He shouted in shock.

"That's right! Now stay there!" Seryu yelled.

With each step she took, the woman was getting closer. However, Ben didn't want to stay still for the woman to catch up to him, hence he turned and began to run away.

' _That look on her face isn't the same as the last time she chased me. I have to get away from her quick!'_ Ben thought quickly.

"Hey! I said hold it!" Seryu shouted angrily.

However, Ben ignored her and continued running. He didn't intend to slow down nor did he have doubts on his action. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that there were people around, he would've turned into an alien and gotten away. But then again, even if he could, Seryu had an idea, to which she implemented by coming to a stop and then spinning Kuro in the air above her head by his leash.

"Get him, Koro!" She shouted.

With that, the Imperial guard did the unexpected. She sent her organic Teigu flying through the air and heading straight for Ben, who was unaware of the time. Hence, by the time Ben did hear something coming from him, it was too late. The teen only had the chance to look back and get hit at the face by Kuro's butt with great force, causing him to trip on his own legs and fall straight into the side where his head hit a wall and knocking him unconscious.

"Yes! I got him!" Seryu cheered happily.

However, there was a problem. Seryu's action at that moment had gotten the attention of passersby. But then fortunately for her, she seemed to know how to handle the situation as she walked over to Ben, smiling at the people around.

"Rest easy everyone. This is just a little drill. Everything is fine." She said.

Everyone immediately turned away. This wasn't surprising, especially for Seryu since she had been in the Capital longer than she could remember. Anyway, now that the people were no longer paying attention, her face expression turned into a serious cold look that was casted on Ben's unconscious body.

"Now then…where do we start?" She asked rhetorically.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A small groan escaped Ben's mouth as he slowly began to regain consciousness. However, that wasn't to say it was an easy awakening. The teen felt his forehead hurt right there as it instantly made him to wince and move his arms. But then, when he felt them being restrained, he was surprised, especially when he tried to same for his legs and felt them being restrained as well.

"What the…What's going on?" Ben questioned in shock.

"Oh good…you're finally awake." said a familiar female voice.

The teen hero's position was on a bed in a room. He was clearly no longer in an area he was familiar to nor was he in the presence of someone he didn't want to be with. But with his arms and legs restrained by ropes tied to each sides of the bed, he had no choice but to look at his left and see Seryu emerge from the dark side of the room with Kuro next to her.

"Seryu? This was you?" Ben asked in mild shock.

"Yes, it was mine. Your restraints will ensure you don't run away again, especially now that I have you." Seryu answered.

' _Crud…What do I do now?'_ The teen hero thought. He tried again to move his hands in order to break free, only to then find them securely restrained. _'I really can't get out of this…meaning I can't use the Omnitrix.'_

"Now then…let's get to the chase." Seryu said.

By this point, there was no telling what the female Imperial guard could do. She had a scary serious look on her face that somewhat sent a shudder down Ben's spine. In fact, the intensity in the place became even more intense when she calmly placed a chair next to the bed Ben was restrained on and sat on it.

"Let me go, Seryu!" Ben yelled. "I don't have time for your games! Capturing and restraining someone isn't right! It's wrong!"

"And you're one to talk?" Seryu questioned sternly. Of course, her reply was a rhetorical one as she then continued. "Your Teigu's symbol is all over the wanted posters, so you're basically a criminal of the empire. You're lucky I haven't ratted you out like the others wanted to."

"Others?" Ben asked.

"Hmph…So you've forgotten." Seryu subtly replied. "Do you remember that time you sparred with…Ogre-sama. I was there, along with lady Aria and other subordinates that watched the whole thing. So imagine our shock when the Black Scare happened and most of us were captured in a strange barrier with your Teigu's symbol produced…Then there's the fact that Ogre-sama was assassinated."

Ben didn't say anything back. He understood now that he had messed up even though he didn't have to say it. And as much as he hated that, he had actually forgotten most of the ordeal with Ogre sometime after the incident involving that night. However, as he said nothing, Seryu's mood shifted into something deeper.

"Now that that's out the way…my generosity doesn't come without a price." Seryu said coldly. "I didn't keep the others quiet because of you; I did it because I have questions that need to be answered. After that I'll hand you over to the Garrison, you got that?"

Ben sent a scowl straight at the female Imperial guard. "And if I don't?" He asked.

Seryu cock a small grin. It was no ordinary grin; it was a frightening one that brought a sadistic side of her that Ben had never seen before. So even if he had anything to say, the young woman beat him to it.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know." She said.

Ben's glare stiffed. The energetic and frantic Seryu he knew was no longer there; she was now replaced by a sense of power that couldn't be ignored.

"First question…" The young woman suddenly said. "Did you really cause the Black Scare, and if so why?"

"…"

Ben refused to reply to her. Maybe if she was that soft side of her, he would have told her. However, the state she was in was different and viler than most enemies he had faced. It almost reminded him of Ogre himself.

"Answer me!" Seryu yelled angrily.

"I have nothing to say to you!" Ben yelled angrily. "And what's with the dark mood from you? I don't remember you having this side of you!"

"You're right…" Seryu replied. However, her mood didn't seem to change when she continued. "But what do you expect?! That night changed a lot of things and worse of all Ogre-sama…the man who meant so much to me is dead! Now I don't know what happened that night, but I know you had a connection to his death! Now tell me the truth!"

' _I see now…'_ Ben thought observantly. _'This side of her…It has always been there…and I can guess who the cause of it is. I guess that means that if Ogre was the demon, then Seryu is the demon's apprentice.'_

Seryu didn't like the teen's silence. A part of her had expected him to speak, however it seemed he was more stubborn than she thought. As such, many thoughts of torture began to creep into her mind as she stood there, glaring at him with her emotions slowly getting the better of her. In fact, her emotions were so strong that she silently stood up and approached the teen.

Unknown to her however, something else was wrong. It wasn't with Ben, but rather with herself. Her body was shaking despite the cold sternness that she had put in. Hence, when she spoke, her voice was shaky no matter how much she tried to make it strong.

"Y-You will tell me the truth…or-or I'll…I'll…"

Seryu finally couldn't hold it. A new side of her suddenly emerged as she then fell to the ground on her knees. But if that wasn't enough, her head was on the bed as she began to cry frantically.

"Just tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell meeeeee!" She wept bitterly. Her action shocked Ben, as even he hadn't expected it. "I want to hate you! I want to force you to say the truth! But I can't do it! I just can't! Why can't I do it?! My father is dead and now the man who raised me is gone too! I just want to know the truth! Is that so fucking hard?!"

Ben was silent to bring a response. It was indeed surprising to see the way Seryu was acting. One moment she was acting sweet and then the next she was a cold person with an evil aura. But if that wasn't enough, she was also caring and very emotional. It made Ben feel really guilty.

"I'm sorry." Ben said apologetically. He didn't seem to care that he was being held against his will especially as he continued. "I can honestly tell you that I'm not responsible for Ogre's death. As for the Black Scare…I'm very sorry about it."

Seryu stopped weeping and looked at Ben. She hadn't expected Ben to confess at that moment, hence the surprised look on her face. Anyway, the teen hero continued.

"On that night I wasn't thinking straight…" Ben said. "Something bad happened and I let my emotions get the better of me…If it hadn't been for Aria, I would've…"

"Lady Aria?" Seryu interjected suddenly. "Is she okay? I remember she went with Ogre-sama on that night."

"She's fine." Ben assured her. "But there's one thing I think you should know."

Seryu was now curious and captivated. She had no idea what the teen hero had in store for her. Hence, as she was on the ground, her eyes were staring at the teen, who then became serious.

"Whatever you thought of Ogre…you should drop it now." The teen stated sternly.

Seryu was surprised. His words before had seemed to be something good, however what he said then had felt like a spear directly into her heart. However, Ben still continued.

"I'm guessing Ogre was a good man to you. He must've taken care of you when your dad died. But he isn't a saint like he may have portrayed himself to you." Ben said straightforwardly.

"Lies!" Seryu suddenly yelled.

For the first time in that short time, Seryu was angry. Here she was with a guy that she unintentionally opened up to and now receiving words that spoke against the man she cared about dearly. Hence, she stood back on her feet with a killer glare.

"Ogre was a great man!" Seryu yelled. "He stopped criminals! Made life easy for those who couldn't defend themselves! He was always a messenger of justice at everywhere he went! So don't you talk shit about him!"

"Then why did he almost rape Aria?!" Ben yelled back.

Seryu was suddenly shocked. The tone the teen hero had used was different, as it sounded more serious and direct. However, at the same time, there was also what Ben had said that took her aback.

"Rape…? Ogre wouldn't have…" Seryu said.

"Well he almost did!" Ben stated straightforwardly. "He also squandered off Aria's family's fortune and gave it to himself and his friends! I know this because Aria told me herself!"

"So…you were there?"

' _Shit! I messed up!'_ Ben cursed in his mind.

The tide of the tension now seemed to have changed. Ben Tennyson, who had intended to change Seryu's mind was now regretting letting his own emotions get the better of him. Unfortunately, the repercussion of his mistake became obvious when Seryu's mood shifted into a dark cold look on her face.

"I never should've trusted you!" Seryu stated angrily. "I once thought we could be great friends! But now I see you're a liar and a deceiver! You could've saved Ogre-sama from Night Raid, but you let him be killed, didn't you?!"

Ben said nothing back. He did feel some guilt, but not over Ogre's death. Even though he was against taking a life that didn't mean he would show any mourning for the evilly deceased. Ogre was evil and seemed hell bent on causing as much death as possible, so the teen hero had little choice on the matter, especially when Tatsumi had killed him. Unfortunately, his silence was taken wrongly by the female Imperial guard.

"I knew it!" Seryu determined angrily. The look on her face was now that of hatred as she slowly backed away from the restrained teen. "I won't stand for your lies anymore! Kuro! Take him o –"

Koro suddenly growled, cutting off his owner. It wasn't at her or Ben though, but rather at the wall at the other side of the teen hero. However, before anything could be said, the wall exploded, sending pieces of wood flying with a huge dust cloud that followed. Fortunately for Seryu, she was safe due to Koro, who grew twelve foot tall and shielded her. As for Ben, he was just lucky to not get hit by any of the burns of the explosion.

"The heck was that?!" Ben asked.

However, the teen hero's words were ignored. Seryu was curious as well, but it didn't take a genius to know that they were being under attack. But then, before she could determine who it was, a sonic beam hit Kuro with such force that the Teigu cried out in pain and fell forward on the ground, returning back to his small size.

"Kuro?!" Seryu shouted in shock.

But the attack didn't stop there. The female Imperial officer was suddenly silenced by a black goo that instantly gummed her mouth shut. She did try to pry it off with her hands, however that was unsuccessful especially with what happened next. A pair of ropes immediately flew from the dust cloud and tied both her arms and legs together, knocking her to the ground.

"Ha! Got her!" cheered an unknown voice.

The situation was now more alarming to both Ben and Seryu. The both of them were unable to move due to the restraints they were on. Hence, the only thing they could do was watch as the dust cloud faded to reveal a man in a strange suit walking towards Kuro, who was immobilized on the ground.

Seryu tried to protest. The unknown man was clearly the cause of the recent attack. Unfortunately, all she could do was squirm and make muffle sounds behind the gag on her mouth. But that didn't mean the man ignored her. He noticed her, especially as he lifted Kuro and placed him into a bag.

"Ah, don't worry, sweetheart. It'll be all over soon." He said with a smirk.

"Who are you?!" Ben yelled angrily.

The man turned to Ben and seemed a bit surprised. Thus, in that moment, his appearance was taken into account. He seemed to be a man in his early thirties just by the obvious facial hair he had. He wore goggles at his forehead while at the same time wearing a black and white suit. However, the most intriguing thing about his outfit was the two huge black and silver gauntlets on his wrists.

"This is surprising." The man said with mild amusement. "I didn't know the girl had a guest. But I guess I came just in time. I probably prolonged your life for a little longer."

"A little longer?" Ben questioned.

"Why, yes." The man said freely. "I'm known as the Teigu Mercenary. I do the jobs too scary or dangerous for the ordinary man - for the right price that is. And it just so happens that my Teigu, **The pair of unbeatable frequency** , **Baduo** , has a trump card that temporarily deactivates a Teigu."

"So in other words…you're not letting us live." Ben concluded.

"Correct, kid." The Teigu Mercenary replied. He then turned his focus to Seryu, who was glaring at him. "But it's for the best. Along with capturing this little missy's Teigu, I have to kill her as a bonus. You can't let a demon live, you know."

Ben scowled and tried to break free. A part of him knew this was impossible, however it couldn't be helped to try. Just then, the door was blown apart before two muscular men walked inside the room with dynamites in their hands.

"You've got the prize?" asked one of the guys.

"Yup. Let's blow this place." The Teigu Mercenary replied.

With that, the two men went to work. The both of them immediately lit up the dynamites and threw them to the floor, very close to Seryu. At the same time, the mercenary grinned before walking to the door, pleased with his job.

"It's been real, but I got to go. Have fun in heaven or hell." He said.

And with that, the door was closed. Now the only ones in the house were Ben and Seryu, both of whom were still restrained. Seryu tried to push the dynamites away, however it didn't matter much if she succeeded. These dynamites were going to blow up everything whether she liked it or not.

Fortunately, Ben wasn't deterred from doing something. In fact, no sooner did the guys leave did the teen went to work. By that, he basically tried to pull his left arm which possessed the Omnitrix from the strong restrained on his arm. But it wasn't easy. The teen had to push his own limit while bearing the pain from the burn from the rope as he pulled on it.

Meanwhile, there were still the dynamites about to blow up. Time was ticking with little that could be done to avert the situation. Already Seryu could be seen crawling to a table where she knew she had a pair of scissors on. But sadly for her, there was little time.

So in that moment of losing hope, something happened. Ben broke free of the rope, but not without having a serious burn around his wrist. However, it mattered little to him. The faceplate of the Omnitrix slide back automatically to reveal its core, which the teen immediately slammed on his forehead.

Ben was immediately covered in a flash of green light. He began to fell his body grow exponentially as certain parts of his body transformed beyond what a human could do. At the same time, he grew a tail and formed a hard thick skin body, as well as a great height that immediately broke the bed he was on. Hence, when the transformation ended, Ben sat up and noticed the alien he was as.

" **Yes! Humungousaur!"** Ben cheered.

Now the teen hero had a choice. He looked to the door as it was his way out and then at Seryu who was now staring at him. Clearly, as his current alien form, he could survive the blast about to come, however the same couldn't be said about the female Imperial guard. And as much as Ben wanted to get out, Seryu's safety took priority.

Hence, in that moment, Humungousaur ran over to Seryu. At the same time, the dynamites were reaching the end of its ropes. So in order to protect her, Humungousaur lifted the Imperial guard to his chest and closed his eyes just in that for the incoming explosion.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Outside Seryu's house, people were standing some feet away from it with curiosity and confusion. They had seen a bunch of suspicious men come out and entered a cart to make a getaway with nothing done about it. But then even if they could, an explosion suddenly blew the house apart, sending pieces of woods flying and shocking the people around.

However, the moment didn't end there. No, it became even scarier when they saw a twelve foot tall 'Danger Beast' with green eyes walking out of the place as if nothing happened.

"AAAHH! A DANGER BEAST!" shouted a woman.

"A DANGER BEAST?! HERE?! RUN!" shouted a man.

Everyone immediately did what the man said. They didn't stick around to see the outcome of this 'Danger Beast' or what had been the fate of those inside the house. Fortunately, it didn't matter much. With them gone, Humungousaur stepped on the streets and placed Seryu on the ground, where he then carefully removed the ropes restraining her.

Seryu then took care of the last thing. The sticky goo on her mouth was immediately removed by her before facing a direction of the street with an urgent look.

"Those bastards! They took Kuro!" Seryu yelled angrily.

Ben wasn't bothered by her attitude though. He used the chance he had at that moment to tap the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and change back. Then, with no word, he began to walk away, which caught the Imperial guard's attention.

"Where are you going?! Kuro's in danger!" Seryu yelled.

Ben immediately stopped and turned to her. He didn't seem the least alarmed by her. In fact, if anything, he was somewhat calm when he looked at her.

"Yeah…about that…I really don't care." Ben admitted.

"What?! How could you?!"

"Don't play dumb with me, Seryu." Ben stated straightforwardly. The casual attitude he had displayed was gone, and with it came a serious one. "I saved your life because it was the right thing to do. But just a moment ago, you almost had that dog…thing about to kill me. I don't appreciate that, so you're on your own. I've done my part."

"Hmph! Fine then! But just know this isn't over!"

And so with that, Seryu ran off in a fit of anger. Ben watched her leave with no impulse to follow her and didn't seem a bit worried about her. In fact, the only response he made was a sigh and him then rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Well…so much for walking through the Capital peacefully."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the forest, far from the main road, a group of men were gathered in a circle. One of them that was in the middle held a bag which just so happened to contain Kuro. But if their intention wasn't clear, the fact that another man had just finished digging a hole seemed to hint at it.

"Let's get this over with." said one of the guys. "The boss wants this abomination of a Teigu gone and never seen again."

"Honestly, I can't blame him." Another guy said. On his face was a serious look as he pointed at the bag containing the Teigu. "That monster is a threat to all men. It killed many of our brothers! I just wish we could do the same to it!"

"But still…shouldn't we use it?" asked another guy. His response came as a shock to the others as their attention turned to him. "I mean…his owner is dead so maybe we can…"

"No!" A familiar male voice objected.

The one who had spoken at that moment was the Teigu Mercenary. He was by a tree smoking a cigarette, which was now in his hand as he glared at the man who had spoken.

"My job here was to eliminate the girl and have the Teigu buried feet into the earth. Don't make me have to force you guys." He said.

"He's right." stated one guy. He was the same man who had first spoken. "Let's get this over with."

Now at this point, every man present silently agreed. The Teigu shortly known as Kuro had to be buried for what it had done. However, just as one of the guys was about to drop the bag containing the Teigu into the hole, a bullet hit him at the hand, causing him to cry out in pain and unintentionally drop the bag on the ground.

"No one's going anywhere!" shouted a familiar female voice. "You may have tried to avert justice, but those who do evil will always pay for the wrongs they have done!"

All the men gasped, minus the Teigu Mercenary. They were all familiar with that voice and thus they turned to the direction of it to find Seryu standing there with two guns pointed at them.

"She's alive?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"It doesn't matter! Just shoot her!"

Seryu became intense and ready for action. She had expected things beforehand to go in the direction the men were thinking of doing. But then, in a moment of shock, the Teigu Mercenary clapped his hands slowly and made his way casually between them before facing Seryu.

"Well done, girl, I'm impressed." The Teigu Mercenary remarked. "I've been in this line of work for twenty years now and yet no one has actually escaped my executions. I guess my brother really trained you well."

"Brother?" Seryu questioned. She was shocked to hear such a word before a thought came to mind. "Are you saying that you're –"

"That's right. I'm Ogre's little brother!" The Teigu Mercenary exclaimed.

Seryu was even more shocked. The look on her face was no lie as she stood there. But then, just as it came, she became stiffened as a glare was now on her face at the Teigu user.

"I don't believe you. Ogre-sama never had a brother." She stated.

"Oh, but he did." The Teigu Mercenary insisted. "The thing about my brother and I is the fact that we don't like to mix with each other. So when I heard he was assassinated by Night Raid, I was a bit surprised, but not in the least taken aback. My big brother was always an ignorant fool for not seeing it coming. He always thought he was the strongest…Haha…such an idiot."

Something inside Seryu suddenly snapped. It happened from the way the man had spoken verbally against her master who she had treasured so much. So in that moment, the young woman's anger got the better of her as she then let out a loud cry and unleashed numerous bullets at the Teigu Mercenary.

At the same time, the other men had to duck. Seryu's line of fire may be at the Teigu user, but any stray shot could hit them. However, in what should be easy, the young woman was surprised when she saw the man running straight for her and immediately dodging all of her bullets with ease.

But the action didn't stop there. Seryu was still unleashing her bullets when suddenly she noticed the man getting very close to her, Hence, she acted quickly by moving her head back just in time to avoid an uppercut to the head by the man.

The Teigu Mercenary didn't stop there though. He immediately counteracted Seryu by doing a spin kick intended for her head. However, once again, the girl dodged it, this time by jumping back with a mild shock on her face.

' _He's fast…very fast.'_ She thought.

The Teigu Mercenary suddenly came for her. This time though, he appeared right behind her, which surprised her. However, Seryu was able to react quickly by pointing her gun at his face and shooting directly at it. But it didn't work.

For some reason, the Teigu Mercenary was one step ahead of her. He had used his hand to get between the gun and his face and allow it to take the blow. Then, even though his hand suffered no harm, he suddenly sent his other hand's fist forward for Seryu's stomach.

Fortunately, Seryu was able to avoid the blow. She did this by jumping back and then readying her feet for a landing. But then, before she could even touch the ground, the mercenary shot a sonic blast at her from very fist she had avoided, thus sending her to the ground hard.

But it didn't stop there. Seryu was about to stand up, when suddenly she noticed something coming down on her. It was the Teigu Mercenary himself, and it seemed he was going to crush her. However, the female Imperial guard rolled out of the way and got on her arms and feet, ready to get up just as the mercenary then landed on the ground. But then, before she could swiftly stand, the mercenary shot another sonic beam at her that immediately sent her rolling on the ground brutally.

"Is that all you got, girl?!" shouted the mercenary.

Seryu tried to stand up. The scowl on her face, which reflected her frustration and anger at the man, was showing. Sadly, the strength she tried to summon wasn't at its fullest when she tried to stand up. Her body was shaking, and thus she couldn't react fast.

But that didn't mean that the Teigu Mercenary was done. He shot at her again with a stronger sonic blast that instantly caused the woman to scream and hit the hardness of a tree. Hence, with her strength most diminished, she panted heavily as her hair was in a mess and her armor clearly showing dents.

"Such a shame…" The Teigu Mercenary commented. He was now standing before Seryu with a disappointed look. "I was expecting so much from you. But I guess I was wrong…So before you die, I'll let you in on a little secret. The reason I bested you is because I was one of the best in the Imperial Fist…you know, it's that great martial arts school in the empire. So even though you were skilled, to me you were nothing but a snail waiting to be stomped. I wasn't even going all out."

Seryu said nothing to the mercenary. At the same time, the deadly look on her face, staring at the guy, never seemed to cease. So as he lifted his arm at her and powered one of the gaunlets, the young woman continued to glare at him like an angry beast.

However, the young woman's end never came. It was strange, but at the same time shocking when it happened. The Teigu Mercenary was about to kill her when suddenly an elastic green energy rope wrapped around his arm and lifted it somewhere else. Hence, instead of shooting Seryu, he shot the sky before then being lifted off the ground and thrown the ground a few feet away.

"Huh?" Seryu was surprised.

The Imperial guard wasn't alone in this feeling though. The men that had seemed happy watching the young woman about to be killed were suddenly bombarded by green lasers that came from the sky. As a result, a huge dust cloud was created that concealed their surroundings before the one responsible for it landed on the ground, revealing itself to be **Astrodactyl**.

"B-Ben?" Seryu questioned. She was able to recognize the hero due to the Omnitrix symbol on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's me." Astrodactyl answered. "You look beat up."

"Yeah…"

Seryu felt emotionally down now that she thought of her situation. She had made her way to the forest to rescue her Teigu, only to get beaten by another Teigu user. But even with that obviously there, the fact that Ben's presence just saved her seemed to affect her on the inside.

"You saved me…Why?" Seryu asked.

"To stop you." Ben answered.

Seryu was surprised. To her, the teen hero sounded contradictory considering what he just recently did. Fortunately, Ben was able to elaborate.

"I was worried you'll end up killing some people. But considering you just got your butt handed to you, I guess I really do have to save you." The teen hero said. "But it comes with one condition. When this is over, do not kill any of the guys, you understand?"

Seryu said nothing back. The condition Ben had just given her sounded absurd and something she wouldn't agree. In fact, if she was her strong self like before, she would've pushed the offer aside and done something to the teen. However, her present state made her think differently, and as such she reluctantly accepted much to her displeasure.

"Fine…"

A smirk formed on Ben's face upon hearing that. He knew the young woman didn't like his condition, just by the look on her face. But with his pride now strong, the hero turned to face the dust cloud, which was now clearing up, with his hand already above the Omnitrix's core.

"Alright, this seems like a job for Shocksquatch." Ben proclaimed. "You just stay back, Seryu. This will be over in no time."

Seryu said nothing back. She saw no need to do so considering the situation. However, now that she was facing Ben's back, she couldn't help but see something different about him. She didn't know for certain on what it was, but she could tell that it was enlightening in the way the teen stood proudly.

Now before the dust cloud settled, the teen hero went to work. He slammed his hand down on the exposed core of the Omnitrix and was engulfed by green light. Hence, it was at that moment that the bad guys saw what happened.

The flash of green light that engulfed the teen hero began to transform him. However, it was not in the setting he was mostly used to for Shocksquatch. This was obvious when he grew larger than the known alien's size, as well as when most parts of him became an unknown form of rock. But if that wasn't enough, electricity coursed through his body, both inner and visibly. Hence, when the transformation was completed, Ben was a total complete being.

The teen hero was a humanoid alien. However, when compared to most of his aliens, this form stood different. His body consisted of blue energy with a rocky element that served as armor on his head, upper body, shoulders and legs. But if that wasn't enough, there were three spikes protruding from both of his shoulders, with his arms being large. Lastly, he had green eyes while a moss-like substance was around his neck and the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.

" **Huh…? Shock Rock?"** The teen hero questioned upon looking at himself. **"I almost forgot I unlocked this guy during the road trip. Nevermind Shocksquatch, this guy will do much more nicely."**

"Shit! What the hell is that thing?!"

Shock Rock's attention was drawn to the scream. Not surprisingly, the one who had release such an expression was one of the men, which was understandable. By now, all of them were staring at the huge alien before them, even as one of them then spoke.

"That symbol on its chest! I've see it!"

"Yo-you're right! It's that mysterious guy with the Teigu! What's he doing here?!"

"Does it matter?! Shoot him!"

The men immediately did what they were told. They brought out their guns from wherever they kept it and began to shoot rapidly at the teen hero. However, before any of their shots could hit, Ben immediately stretched both his hands out and created an electrified wall. Hence, all their shots were obstructed.

" **You done yet?"** Shock Rock asked almost in boredom.

The men said nothing, but froze. By this point, all their bullets had been wasted due to their frantic behavior. So it was then at that moment that Ben stretched out his left hand and charged up an electric ball, which he immediately fired at the men.

Of course, the energy blast wasn't meant to hit them. The teen's shot only hit the ground before them and exploded with great result. As such, all the men were sent flying and hitting either the trees or ground, with the impact knocking them out.

"I-Incredible…" Seryu gasped in awe.

 **"** **Man I've almost forgotten how much I love this form."** The teen hero remarked to himself while flexing his arms. It had been a long while since he fought as Shock Rock and he was definitely going to enjoy the reintroduction.

Though that blast wasn't Shock Rock's greatest feat, it was something to Seryu. By this point, the young woman was recovering and holding on to the tree just to stand. But then, just as Ben had taken out those guys, he was suddenly hit by a sonic beam that sent him a few feet back.

Fortunately, Shock Rock was more durable than he looked. He simply landed on his feet and got into a fighting stance, just in time to see who had been the one that shot him. Not surprisingly, it was the Teigu Mercenary, who was now casually walking towards him.

"So…you're the hero of the Capital I've heard so much about." The Teigu Mercenary said calmly. "Honestly, I knew our paths would cross eventually, but I didn't think it would be so soon…Anyway, you're here to save the young lady, am I right…? Well I'll hate to break it to you, but you won't be accomplishing that. Trust me…saving her would be a big mistake on your part. You can mark my word on that."

" **Right…Is that before or after I kick your butt?"** Shock Rock calmly asked.

The Teigu Mercenary didn't take his reply likely. In fact, if anything, the teen hero's response only made him angry and then thrust his left arm forward, shooting another sonic beam.

However, the outcome didn't work well for the mercenary. Shock Rock was more prepared for the blast when it came at his direction. Hence, before it could hit, the teen hero charged up his right fist and punched at the sonic beam with so much force that he destroyed it and sent the mercenary flying backwards.

But the fight wasn't over, at least not yet. The Teigu Mercenary was able to do a back flip that resulted with him back on his feet. However, with the way he had been shot back, he became angrier and sent both his arms forward, unleashing a bigger and stronger sonic beam.

"Don't get cocky!" He yelled.

"Ben, look out!" Seryu shouted.

The mercenary's sonic beam was dangerous, as well as terrifying. It made the earth beneath the trail of the beam to break apart with just the boom from it echoing to the distance. However, when it approached Ben, the teen hero stretched his hand out and created an electricity based wall that immediately stopped it in its tracks.

The Teigu Mercenary was instantly shocked. One of his most devastating attacks that he was certain could take down the hero was being held back effortlessly. However, if that wasn't enough, Shock Rock lifted his other arm to tighten his fist, before then sending that fist straight at beam with greater force.

So it went without saying that the outcome was undoubtedly surprising. Seryu was taken aback as she had to clutch on to the tree to not get blown away. However, the same couldn't be said for the Teigu Mercenary, who was instantly sent flying, with the same for numerous trees behind him.

By the time the scene cleared up, the result of Shock Rock's blow was revealed. A trail of fallen trees could already be seen by Seryu, whose eyes were widened. As for the Teigu Mercenary, he coughed and grunted and weakly got to his feet, where he then found his suit to be mostly ruined.

"Shit…What kind of power is that…? I wasn't prepared for that." said the mercenary. "It's already too late to run…so I'll just use my trump card to end this fight. Then once his Teigu is down, I can finish him off."

Shock Rock suddenly landed in front of him. He was just a few feet from the mercenary, when his figure stood in a frightening comparison of size. However, rather than be scared, the Teigu Mercenary raised lifted both his arms together, which then caused the two gauntlets on his wrists to attach to each other to make one huge gauntlet.

"Take this!" He shouted.

Immediately, the Teigu Mercenary fired. The sonic beam he released was different from his other ones though, as this one was of a different frequency. Hence, as he watched it push Shock Rock back, he grinned madly.

"HAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH! IT WON'T BE LONG NOW BEFORE YOU CHANGE BACK AND I'LL HAVE YOU DEAD!"

Shock Rock's eyes suddenly flashed green. It was odd coming from the hero, but at the same time terrifying. But it didn't matter anyway. Shock Rock's body suddenly began to charge up to the point that he began marching through the sonic beam like it was nothing but air.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE!" The Teigu Mercenary shouted in shock. "YOU CAN'T BEAT ME! I'M THE TEIGU MERCENARY! YOU SHOULD'VE CHANGED BACK BY NOW UNLESS…UNLESS…OH NO! YOU'RE NOT USING A TEIGU?!"

" **Right you are, genius!"**

Shock Rock then ended the fight. He brought his large fist back and immediately sent it straight at the mercenary. There was no way to avoid it, so the Teigu Mercenary felt the blunt of it. Hence, when the fight ended, the Teigu Mercenary was found to be lying defeated against a now fallen tree with his Teigu destroyed.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Oh, Kuro! You're okay!" Seryu cheered happily.

Kuro barked with an expressionless look on his face. He was in the arms of his master, who immediately embraced him to her chest with a happy look on her face. At the same time, Shock Rock finished tying up in the men by using an electric made rope. The Teigu Mercenary was among them, as he too was unconscious.

" **Well, that's that."** Shock Rock said. It was then at that moment that the Omnitrix timed out and returned the teen back to normal.

"Ben…" Seryu called.

Ben responded by turning to the young woman. He saw at that moment that she was staring at him with her dog held to her chest.

"Thank you." Seryu said gratefully. "If you hadn't been here…I would've been…"

"It's fine." Ben assured her. "A simple thanks is all I need. But remember our condition. I saved your life so you're going to let these guys live and face a fair trial by the Capital."

"Will do." Seryu chirpily smiled. "But can I ask you something? Why are you concerned about their lives? They're scums of the Capital that deserve immediate justice."

"Immediate justice?" Ben questioned. He was confused by the words, but then became straightforward. "Seryu, why are you so keen about their life? You're an Imperial guard right? Shouldn't it be your duty to arrest and have them jailed? Anyway…from where I'm from, we treat villains to a fair trial. It shows we're more human than them and willing to give them a chance to defend themselves even if what they've done is undoubtedly obvious…Besides, killing out of a personal sense of morality is wrong. A person can kill as many as they want, but the numbers of wrong doers will still be the same…because that person just carried their sins with him."

"I…see." Seryu said.

"Well I'll be going now. Bye, Seryu." Ben said.

With that, the conversation with the two end. Ben once again slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix and became engulfed in a flash of light. Then, when the light died down, he stretched out his wings as Big Chill and flew off into the sky.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **NIGHT RAID HQ: THE KITCHEN**

"That's awesome, Ieyasu!" exclaimed Tatsumi happily.

Both the teen and his friend were in the kitchen, though in different positions. Tatsumi was seated by the table while Ieyasu stood by with a grin and his arms crossed. He had his axe placed on his back as this happened.

"Yup! Finally, I'm going to get back into the action." Ieyasu stated. "I'll admit getting to go on a mission with that annoying pink haired midget is annoying, but at least Sheele would be there to keep me sane."

Tatsumi chuckled. "Yeah. Just be sure to come back alive."

"Don't worry. He will." A familiar voice replied.

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu turned to the doorway to see who it was that responded. Not surprising, the person who spoke then was Sheele, who had her Teigu strapped to her back while possessing a pleasant smile on her face.

"Well it looks like it's time to go." Ieyasu said. But then a thought came. "By the way, wasn't Leone and you meant to go on a request?"

"Yeah, we were. But for some reason she declined my help and said she had it covered." Tatsumi frowned. It was clear by his face that he was disappointed. However, he was able to recover and smile a bit. "Well I'll see you when you get back."

"Right." Ieyasu nodded with a determined smirk.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The sun was beginning to set, as Seryu stared at it. She was still at the forest; however the place was far from quiet due to the screams and agony of men suffering a terrible fate. But it didn't seem to matter to the female Imperial guard, especially when it ceased and she turned back to see Kuro as his small self but with blood on his mouth.

"I'm guessing you're full now. That's good, Kuro." Seryu said happily. Her dog barked at her in response like it was agreeing. The Imperial guard then turned to the sky again and smirked devilishly. "Sorry, Ben, but the works of evil can't be allowed to escape justice; The same for Night Raid. I have a hunch on where I'll find them…and when I do find them, I'll bring the heavy arms of justice on them. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 ** _With a heart so dark and twisted, the inevitable fight between Teigu users has been set into course. Will the power of Sheele, Mine and Ieyasu be enough to defeat this great twisted evil or…will they fail and be trampled by her fierce power? Well…whatever the case is, in a fight between Teigu users, there is always and certainly death to follow._**

_(CHAPTER END)_

 **CLIFFHANGER!**

 **I'm sorry for putting it the way it is, but this was kind of expected. This chapter was originally meant to cover all of chapter 8 of the manga, however I thought it would be interesting to have Ben be involved with Seryu to build up to a special moment. The next chapter will have the rest. This means we'll see more of Leone and Ben, as well as some of chapter 9 since it includes the big fight.**

 **Now about the polls, here are the results.**

 **Which version of Ben 10 do you want in a possible Attack on Titan and Ben 10 crossover?**

 **Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – 7**

 **Ben 10 (11 year old with master control) – 3**

 **Ben 10: Omniverse – 2**

 **Ben 10 (Original series) – 0**

 **Ben 10: Alien Force – 0**

 **TOTAL VOTES : 12**

 **That was so close to the number of votes I estimated. I wanted it to be 15 votes in order to get to do the crossover. Sadly, with it being 12, I can't do it. Remember in the previous chapter I said "If the number of votes is more than I estimate it will be then I'll give the crossover a shot and see how it goes from there."**

 **So it goes without saying much that the crossover won't happen. I'm sorry if this disappointed you, but that's how I'm sticking to my decision. I am grateful that a lot of you took your time to vote in this poll. As such, I will take the recommendation of a guest reviewer and do an Attack on Titan crossover, but with GENERATOR REXXXXX!**

 **The crossover won't be decided in a poll. I'll actually be doing it. The reason is because a crossover between those two shows sounds more interesting to me than a Ben 10 and Attack on Titan crossover, which honestly I wasn't that hyped for. But just so you get a bit of Ben 10 in it, the story will be canonical to this fanfic, meaning Paradox can show up in the Attack on Titan world and mention Ben's action in this fanfic with the same for this fanfic referring to the Attack on Titan world with Rex. As to when I will have that fanfic started, I'll get to it at some point in January 2018, so please be patient.**

 **Anyway, a review request by a guest reviewer has gotten on my nerves. So in response to this reviewer, I have this to say "Stop asking for me to do a My Little Pony and Powerpuff girls crossover? I don't know a single shit about My Little Pony, nor will I EVER know about it in my entire life. I'm a young man in my final year of university, do you honestly think I'll want to watch a colorful show about ponies?! Now you may be wondering why I'm responding this way, and honestly I won't blame you. However, this should've been expected when you requested the same crossover (word for word) in a fanfic that has nothing to do with the Powerpuff or My Little Pony. I read your first request in the other fanfic; I didn't need to be told twice. Also when I get alerted about a new review, I expect to see something that relates to what I've written and not on something that is unrelated like My Little Pony. So if you request for this again, I'll make a fanfic about your request so bad that I'm positive you and any MLP fan will hate it for the rest of your life."**

 **Thank you all for taking your time to read this. Please be sure to review and if you haven't, please favorite and follow this fanfiction. And sorry for this being long. Have a nice day and sorry for the rant on that review reply.**


	21. Night Raiding, A Battle and SACRIFICE!

Hey everyone! I apologize that this took longer than it should've, I've been occupied.

Big thanks goes to everyone that showed their support for this fanfiction and the proposed fanfiction involving Generator Rex and Attack on Titan. It was really great to see that a lot of you were on board with the idea, and still are.

Now about this fanfiction, there's one thing I've considered. I've decided to take the tip of a reviewer a while ago and not indicate a song to listen in the chapter. Instead I will have it indicated in an author's note like this. Sorry that those things were a distraction.

By the way, this chapter includes the rest of chapter 8 of the manga and most of chapter 9 of the manga (I say most for reasons you'll find out soon).

Now with that out of the way, here's another awesome chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

 **Chapter 21: Night Raiding, Teigu battle and…SACRIFICE?**

The time was night when it was right to strike. Originally, Leone was meant to go with Tatsumi on a special night mission to deal with some scums, but for some reason the female assassin had changed her mind and instead chose Ben, who she was now with. Now the two of them stood on the top of a rooftop, looking over a particular district's street.

"So this is the red-light district huh…?" Ben asked with mild interest. "It looks good, but I've been here once, I recall." Then he turned to Leone. "By the way, what's the big idea bringing me here? I thought you were done screwing with me today."

Leone smirked. "So cute." She remarked. She was standing next with the teen with her hands on her hips. "Keep being straightforward like that and I'll be yours, kid."

"Wait. What?" Ben was taken aback. He could already feel his cheeks heating up.

Leone laughed in response. She inwardly liked the embarrassing look on his face and wanted to tease him more. However, the current mission came to mind that pushed that attitude aside.

"Now then. Time to get to work." The blonde assassin said. "I've got debts to pay!"

"Yeah…I kind of figured that part." Ben replied.

And with that, Leone went into action. She called out her Teigu's name, which immediately caused the transformation begin. Hence, right before Ben's eyes, he watched as the woman's clothes almost seem to dissolve as certain parts of her body grew claws, a tail, longer blonde hair and beast ears. But if that wasn't enough, the sight of it made the teen hero to turn away out of mild embarrassment, even when the transformation was completed.

"Alright, I'm pumped!" exclaimed Leone with a smirk. "Changing into this form always get me excited!"

"Sure…Right." Ben replied.

A part of the teen hero thought he should look now, however he couldn't bring himself to it. Leone always seemed to be the member of Night Raid that usually caught him off guard. As such, the hero concentrated on the Omnitrix by selecting through the alien playlist.

But then Leone had other ideas. She immediately and wittingly grabbed Ben's wrist before he could find the right alien. Then, before the hero knew it, the woman placed him in a bridal style in his arms, much to his shock and embarrassment.

"Wai-Wait! What are you –" Ben tried to say.

"Shh! We're sneaking in!" Leone interjected.

In response, the teen hero wanted to object. He was in a position where he would mentally die if anyone he knew from his world (especially Kevin) found out. But Leone didn't seem to care because she suddenly ran off in incredible speed without any warning and jumping from rooftop to another. Then, when they got to their target building, she ran past behind a bald bodyguard and got into a room safely.

"Phew! Made it!" Leone exclaimed with relief.

Ben was feeling a bit shaken. He was now on the ground on his arms and knees, trying to recover from what just happened.

"Never…do that again." He managed to say.

Leone laughed a bit. "Sure thing, kid."

Just then, the topic was changed. Leone moved a few feet away before gesturing to the teen hero to come to her position. Now Ben could ignore her, but seeing that he was in an unexpected situation, he decided to comply. Hence, he and Leone stood in the same spot where she then removed a wooden board of the floor, revealing an awful sight below.

A big number of girls lay on the ground, inhaling some unknown substance either naked or partially naked. This was also followed by the fact that each girl had an addictive expression on their faces as the substance clearly had its effect on their minds and possibly their bodies.

"Guh!" Ben uttered in disgust. He had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand to shield him from the foul smell. _"What the hell is this place?"_ He questioned.

For the past month the teen had been in the Capital, he had just about seen anything. He had learned to deal with the worse of the people who run it, as well as its surprises. However, as he was puzzled at the sight below him, he couldn't help but feel further disgust by it. Some of the girls below were those older and around his age. But before he could take any action, the door to the place was opened before two men walked inside.

Ben didn't recognize any of them. He had dealt with criminals in the Capital at this point, so he figured he should know them. But by the looks they had, he clearly didn't. He saw that one of the men was dressed gangster-like and wearing an eye-patch, while the other was shorter dressed in an unbuttoned business suit.

"Hey there, girls!" called out the eye-patch guy. He didn't seem the least disgusted as he stood there with a satisfied grin. "If you keep earning money well, I'll make sure to send around some more 'medicine' alright, girls?"

"Okaaayyy." The girls replied 'sweetly'.

Just then, the guy in the business suit noticed something. It was a single girl on the ground, clearly weak but deeply drowned in the substance given to her. However, rather than show concern, the guy seemed somewhat disappointed.

"Boss…take a look at this one." He said.

The boss (the eye-patch guy) looked and was disappointed too. "Aaaah, damn it. This one's done." He said. "She smells like fish. She's broke."

The girl suddenly rose from the ground and held the business suit guy by the ankle.

"HAHHHHH…." She 'sweetly' said. She also had an addictive smile was on her face as she continued. "I need some of your drugs."

"Deal with her. We'll get a new one to take her place." said the boss.

And so, the business suit guy did as ordered. He immediately punched the drug addicted girl with one hit, killing her instantly. Not surprising, this had an emotional effect on both Leone and Ben. They both felt themselves snap at the scene, as all they did was watch what had happened.

The two men didn't seem fazed by their action, though. The one who killed the girl wiped his hand with a cloth and said. "We'll have to call up another stupid bitch from the slums, right?"

"Yeah." answered the boss. "Those good-for-nothing will do anything as long as they get paid after all."

Ben immediately pressed his fingers on the Omnitrix's faceplate. He didn't care about which alien he got; as long as he got the one to kick the men's asses was fine. However, as he raised his hand up to slam on the now exposed Omnitrix core, Leone suddenly grabbed his wrist, which got a response from him when he turned to her.

"Let me go, Leone!" Ben angrily protested. The glare in his eyes was filled with hatred as he continued. "I'll make those bastards pay!"

"You think I don't want that?" Leone questioned. Deeply, she was enraged and wanted to do the same thing as Ben, however a sense of reasoning was in her. Hence, she continued. "The one that man hit was someone I knew from the slums. But you're gonna have to wait till they're alone from those girls, understand?"

Ben said nothing back to her. However, the teen knew that the female assassin was right. So rather than let his anger get to him, he rudely pulled his arm from the young woman's grip and stood up straight.

Leone was not surprised by the teen's reaction. She understood perfectly on how he felt. So, in that moment, she stood up as well and punched her fist into her open hand.

"They make me sick!" Leone exclaimed angrily. "Let's put an end to their business **permanently!** "

"Right." Ben nodded seriously. "I promise, as long as I live, I'll never let scums like them get away with this."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at the two guys, they eventually moved to a different room. The room was spacious, as it had a table which they sat close to with their bodyguards and one drug addicted girl.

"Boss…" called the business suit man. "it's about time we expand our drug delivery route, don't you think?"

"True huh…" The boss replied. "I wonder if we should go over to Chibul-sama's place to discuss it."

Suddenly, a loud boom was hard. It didn't come from the men, but from the ceiling some feet away from then. The next thing they knew, two people dropped from a huge hole now in the ceiling and stood before them.

" **LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, YOU DRUG LOVING PRICKS THAT TREAT WOMEN LIKE GARBAGE! THE ONLY THING THAT'LL BE GOING ANYWHERE IS MY FISTS ALL OVER YOUR ASSES!"**

The men were totally taken aback. The two people that stood before them had a feline theme to them. But it was clear which gender they were. Leone stood in her beast form while Ben stood as the nine foot tall tiger-like alien, Rath.

"Intruders! Kill them!" shouted the business suit guy.

In response the men did as told. They had their weapons out, which were swords, and charged in their numbers. But then, unfortunately for them, they didn't get closer. The reason was because of Rath, who leapt forward at them with his arms up.

" **COSMIC DROP!"** Rath cried out.

And with that, the alien hero beat them with one swift move. He did this by crashing his fists into the ground, which created a shockwave that sent the men flying to different directions.

Meanwhile, Leone had her own fair share of bad guys to beat. Right now, some of the other men had her surrounded with the positivity of their numbers in their minds. However, Leone didn't seem fazed by them. She did, however, have a smirk on her face as she had her arms crossed over her chest.

"My targets are the drug smuggling ring leaders. But you also share their sins." The assassin told the men. Then she pulled her fists back and tightened them. "….so you can all die together."

The men were instantly in big trouble. They had no time to react, as Leone unleashed blinding speed punches at them. There were some that tried to evade, but they were instantly killed by her fists. But if that wasn't enough, Leone grinned and swept a kicked at a couple of men, sending them straight into the wall, dead and broken.

Now the only targets left were the main ones. The two bosses, who were the main boss and the business suit guy, had just witnessed what happened before them. They had seemed so positive of themselves, until now that death seemed inevitable to them.

So in that moment, the business suit guy reacted. He pulled out his gun while panicking and pointed it at Rath, who was charging at him on all four legs.

"S-Stay back!" The man cried out. "Don't fuck with me! If you think I'm going down that that easily, you've got another…AAAHHH!"

Fear led to weakness; the man immediately let go of his gun. It would appear that Rath's approaching form was too much for him. Hence, in the second he released his gun, Rath leapt at it and bite in within his teeth and then stood on his two feet. But if any of that wasn't enough, his terrifying appearance and snarling face terrified the bosses.

" **Now then…"** Rath said. He then picked up the business-like guy by the shirt and raised him to his face level. **"Lemme tell you something! There's a lot of things Rath hates! One of them is when someone messes with Mr. Smoothy and the other thing is when pricks like you treat girls like they're property! So prepare to eat dirt!"**

"Wa-Wait!" The man begged.

However, there was no stopping Rath now. The teen alien immediately tossed the guy with one strong throw that proved damaging. It didn't kill the guy though, but it did cause his body to roll dangerously against the ground, breaking as much of his bones as possible. Hence, by the time the man came to a stop, he was covered in blood and unconscious.

Now that just left the boss of the group. He stood there momentarily in shock, fear and confusion until he felt a strong grip on his neck. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't by Rath, but by one of the ruthless killer of Night Raid, Leone.

"What do you want…?" The boss asked. He could feel his wind pipe tightening with each second, thus making it harder to speak clearly. But he continued to beg anyway. "Do you want money…drugs? I'll give you whatever you want if you'll let me go."

"I don't want either of those things." Leone told him. "What I want from you…is your life."

"Wh…" The man gasped. Leone had tightened her grip further. But again, he managed to speak. "Who the hell are you guys….?"

Leone grinned instantly. The moment had come for her to unleash the beat down she had been holding back. Hence, she drew her fist back to strike the final blow.

"One of us is a hero…as for me, I'm a nobody!" She stated.

The female assassin then unleashed her punched. She had gathered that much strength, and as such released a blow unlike any she had done to the guy's men. As a result, the man was killed instantly with his body slamming to the wall and breaking it instantly.

"Therefore…" Leone continued. "disposing of society's trash suits us just fine."

_(LINE BREAK)_

The bosses may have been dealt with, but there was still the matter of the girls involved with the addictive drug. So within the room there were kept in, the door to the place was opened. Of course, this got the girls attention as they all looked addictively to the one who opened it with expectation.

"Are you here to give us more of the drugs?" asked one girl.

Ben said nothing in response. However, the look on his face was far from that of unresponsiveness. It was shown then that he had sympathy for the girls as he stood there. Hence, as Leone stood by his side, he went to his Omnitrix and began going through the alien playlist.

"I'm not here to give you any of that." Ben stated. Then he found the right alien and raised his hand up to slam on the Omnitrix core. "I'm here to save you all." He said.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Both Ben and Leone were walking by a lonely street by themselves. They had done what they had to do, especially as the teen hero who was at ease now. The girls that had been affected by the addictive drug were on a better path to recovery, and it was all thanks to Ben Tennyson.

"That was pretty amazing, you know." Leone remarked with a thoughtful look. She was back as her human self and walking with both arms behind her head, "To think you could actually fix those girls like that was well…"

"Unexpected?" Ben smirked. "I know. I'm pretty awesome. You can go on and praise me more if you want."

Leone turned to the teen and giggled. "I guess so. But I got to say. I prefer that fairy alien than that big green tank of chemicals you used the first time. You looked so cute."

"Please don't bring Pesky Dust into this." Ben said. He was embarrassed by the image of the alien. "It was already bad enough you had to kill the guys I knocked out…Anyway, I wanted to use Whampire to hypnotize the girls to forget their experience there, but clearly the Omnitrix thought otherwise. But I guess it worked out for the best in the end. With Gutrot's gases and Pusky Dust's…dusts, those girls should be reformed back to society within a week or two with the aid of that friend from the slums you just mentioned."

"Pretty much." Leone smiled. She then looked away. _'Well today concluded my suspicion about Ben's Omnitrix. The kid really doesn't get the alien he wants all the time. I should report this to Boss. She'll want to hear about this.'_

"By the way, Leone…" Ben called the assassin.

Leone turned to the teen hero in response. She was curious on what he had to say since he wanted to talk to her. But then, for something she thought would be nothing special, she was astonished when she saw a unique smile on the teen hero face.

"Despite all that has happened today, you're a great person." He said. "Thank you for all you've done. I appreciate your company."

Leone suddenly made her move. She cupped the teen by the cheeks before he knew it and bit him lightly on the ear with her teeth. This, of course, surprised Ben as he then backed away and held his ear.

"Wh-What's with you and biting?!" Ben shouted. "You bite me as Rath when we first fought and now this?"

Leone giggled and smiled at you. "I guess I already marked you before. My bad."

"What?" Ben was confused.

Leone suddenly patted him on the back. "Relax, kid. If you grow up to be a good man, you're mine, got it?"

"Uh…Uh…" Ben uttered.

For the moment, the teen hero felt taken aback. He could feel his heart beating as he stared at the assassin with a flustered expression on his face. So immediately his mind went into panic as he then ran away with an excuse.

"See ya! I got to meet Aria and Satou somewhere!"

Leone giggled in response. She had expected a reaction like that from the boy before it even happened. Hence, she felt no bother about it as she then looked up to the moon in wonder.

"I wonder how the others are doing." She said.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in a possible park in the Capital, three human beings were running. They weren't trouble, though it depended on who met them, as they were making their way back from a mission. They were Sheele, Mine and Ieyasu, having finished their own part of the mission.

"That Chibul guy was too wary of attacks." Mine stated.

"Yeah, but in the end, it didn't cause too many problems." Sheele replied

"Yup!" exclaimed Ieyasu excitedly. "Haha! I can't wait to get on another mission!"

Unknown to them, however, they were being watched. Within the darkness of the tree branches, there were two figures. These figures had locked sight of the three Night Raid members, before then making their move.

Fortunately, the blood thirst by these figures altered Night Raid. Hence, on instinct, Sheele, Mine and Ieyasu jumped to their own respective sideways, just in time to avoid the figures when they landed and caused the ground to shake.

"An enemy!?" Mine questioned. She skidded back and came to a stop.

Things clearly weren't right, especially with the arrival of a suspicious person. Sure, there was the little thing next to that person; however that didn't excuse the fact that this person was different than most people. In fact, this was even thought of by Mine as she, Sheele and Ieyasu stood and watched the figure stand fully, revealing herself to be an Imperial officer.

' _Who is this…?'_ Mine questioned. _'I didn't notice her at all…She seems different from the other Imperial guards.'_

"I knew it…" The stranger said. She had a wanted poster of Sheele in her hand, before then facing Sheele herself. "It's the same face as the one on the wanted poster…You are definitely Sheele of Night Raid!"

However, the Imperial officer didn't stop there. She turned to Mine and then at Ieyasu, while making her own conclusion.

"And judging from the Teigu your friend has in her hand, she's also a member of Night Raid; The same for the boy with the strange eyepiece on his forehead. Hiding myself and waiting night after night was definitely worth it…"

Ieyasu felt a lot of blood thirst from the Imperial guard. It was unlike any he had sensed before, even to the point of surpassing what Aria possessed in her psychotic days. Thus, when the Imperial officer madly grinned, he gulped down some spit and mentally prepared himself.

"Finally…" The Imperial officer said. "I've finally tracked you down, Night Raiders!"

With that, the woman didn't hold back her joy. She held her arm up with her finger pointed to the sky and shouted. " **Imperial guard forces, Seryu Ubiquitos**!" Then she pointed at the trio. " **In the name of justice, I will absolutely make you evildoers pay here and now!** "

_(LINE BREAK)_

Tension seemed to be in the air as the four Teigu users had a face off. Seryu's appearance had definitely been a shock to the trio of Night Raid. However, now that they had assessed their situation and readied their Teigu, they seemed ready for the inevitable fight.

"So you know who we are." Mine stated with a smirk. "Why are you here? I don't think you came here just to die."

Seryu was silent. The night was somewhat cold as small breeze brushed past the hairs of those in its way. But then, just as that happened, the Imperial officer raised her finger up and pointed it at Mine with a deadly scowl that could possibly kill.

"No matter what happens…" Seryu said angrily. "I will deliver justice. For my father who fell in the line of duty to villains like you! And for my beloved teacher who was murdered by you and your friends! You will never be forgiven!"

Silence immediately followed with that. It was very much clear that the Imperial Officer was dead-set on having her revenge. But that didn't mean it fazed any of the Night Raid members. In fact, Mine was calm minded as she held her Teigu tightly.

"She's really intent on doing this, huh?" Mine said. From there, she began firing at the Imperial officer. "The first to strike has the advantage!"

Now at this point, one would expect the Imperial officer to be done for. After all, she was in the path of the bullets and not moving. But then, just as it seemed the young woman would be killed, Kuro got before her and took notice of the bullets just as they came and hit. Soon enough a dust cloud was made when the shots made contact.

"Did I get her?" Mine questioned.

Ieyasu looked closely. The dust cloud was still there when Mine had asked. Thus, with the aid of his Teigu, he got a clearer look of the scene, especially when everything cleared up. It shocked and upset him mildly.

"No…you didn't." He said.

The teen assassin was right. The dust cloud that had been formed due to Mine's shots had cleared up just to reveal Kuro as a twelve foot tall monster of himself. He was now snarling angrily with his wild teeth showing.

"Mine, Ieyasu, that thing's a Teigu." Sheele claimed.

"Right." Mine agreed. "But that's a biological type, right?"

Ieyasu mentally noted. He had read about the type of Teigu and was knowledgeable about its weakness. But then, when he turned his attention to the Imperial officer, his Teigu noticed her movement which made him react to his comrades.

"Out of the way! She has guns!" Ieyasu shouted.

True to his words, the Imperial guard did have guns. She chose that moment to pull them out before facing them at the Night Raid members and firing them. Thankfully, all three of them leapt out of the way.

However, their evasion of the attack didn't change much. Seryu stopped her firing, but only out of observation.

' _I don't think attacking from the distance would be very effective.'_ She thought.

And so Seryu changed tactic. She turned to her twelve foot tall Teigu and directed her arm at him. "Kuro! Prey!" She shouted.

Kuro immediately obeyed. Thus, instead of standing still, he jumped straight for Ieyasu with his mouth open, revealing a tunnel of sharp teeth. However, the incoming attack didn't seem to scare the assassin. Instead, it just made him smirk a bit even though Kuro became dangerously close.

"Ieyasu! Out of the way!" Mine shouted.

But it was too late. Kuro was already close when Ieyasu ran straight for the beastly Teigu. Surprisingly, his axe cut straight from its mouth and across its stomach, knocking it to the ground instantly.

"Ah dammit." Ieyasu said and laughed a bit. "I missed its damn core."

Seryu was shocked, though the same wasn't for Sheele and Mine. The latter two were actually relieved that the teen made it through such an attack. So, in that moment, Ieyasu proudly turned to Seryu's direction with his axe slung over his shoulder.

"Surprised, eh?" He asked proudly. "Good. You should be. You thought because I carried an ordinary axe that I was the weakest. But just so you know, my axe is equipped with my friend's Cross Tail's thread. Plus, I have this eyepiece on my forehead that gives me a foresight advantage. So it is you that has the disadvantage."

Seryu snarled in response. Inwardly, she hated to admit it, but she had made the poor judgment of having Kuro attack Ieyasu. But that wasn't the same for Sheele and Mine, both of whom felt a boost of confidence. This was especially so when Kuro rose from the ground and tried to strike his hand on him, only for the teen to jump out of the way on time.

"Nice work, newbie! But don't be cocky!" Mine remarked. A proud smirk was on her face. "Right now we need to put that Teigu down. A biological Teigu always regenerates unless it's core is destroyed. So where is it?"

"Right." Ieyasu affirmed. "The Teigu's core is…"

The teen was then interrupted. It wasn't of his own doing, but by the doing of Seryu who shot a few bullets at him. Fortunately, the teen was able to jump out of the way while the Imperial officer herself glared at him in a somewhat nonchalant way.

"I guess I underestimated." Seryu said. "But don't think you've won because you have Zank the Beheader's Teigu." Then she turned to Kuro. "Kuro! Arms!"

Kuro immediately obeyed her again. This time, of course, his feeble arms grew into big muscular ones that just added more menace to his appearance.

"Gross." Mine commented with disgust. "It looks like we don't have any choice but to do that, Sheele. This woman clearly isn't going to let Ieyasu spill about the core."

"I understand." Sheele replied.

Just then, Kuro came charging at Sheele and Mine. Ieyasu, to him, was clearly a bigger threat, so it went for the weaker ones in its eyes. Thus, their predicament became shocking when it began to throw several punches at remarkable speed.

"What the hell?! There's no way to dodge!" Mine shouted in shock.

Ieyasu was shocked too and fearful for Mine. Hence, he ran to her aid, wanting to help. But before he could get there, Sheele already stood before the pink haired girl in a protective manner.

"Mine, get behind me!" Sheele instructed.

And then the young woman endured. She stood in place with her giant scissors held up as a shield to take in all the punches. But the endurance wasn't easy for her. The Teigu was clearly strong, as each punch it threw was being a great strain on her. Fortunately, Ieyasu came yelling and getting the Teigu's attention in the process.

"Bastard, eyes on me!" Ieyasu cried out.

Kuro immediately stopped his attacks. He could see the teen heading straight for him with his axe. Hence, to protect and kill, Kuro swung its fists at Ieyasu at the same fast rate as it did to Sheele. But then, to his surprise, it soon found out what made Ieyasu an exception.

The teen's Teigu guaranteed him a better field than the other Teigu users. He may be using an axe, but with the fact that Lubbock had added some of his trends on it gave him an added advantage. So when Kuro's fists came, Ieyasu remarkable dodged them all and jumped straight between the Teigu's legs when he got the chance. Then, upon sliding on the ground's surface, he got on one knee and turned and swung his axe across Kuro's back leg, thus doing some damage.

However, Ieyasu wasn't done yet. Kuro was distracted as it cried out furiously in pain. Therefore, to deal a bigger blow, the teen leapt upwards and held his axe above his head, where he then let gravity pull him back down but with his axe cutting the back of Kuro from his head and all the way down.

Seryu was alarmed by this. She had been prepared to fight Night Raid, but she hadn't expected Kuro to be overwhelmed by just one member. So immediately she reacted. She pulled out a whistle and blew into it, calling for reinforcement.

Not surprising, this put the trio into a tough situation. Sure, Kuro had received damage, but the Teigu was quickly healing. Fortunately, Mine took advantage of this as she readied her Teigu again.

"A storm of attacks and she just called for reinforcement!" Mine noted efficiently. "This is what I would call being in a pinch!"

With that, the pink haired girl went into action. She jumped into the air and pointed her Teigu at Kuro, who was now standing before Ieyasu with a snarling face. So before she fired, Ieyasu noticed the girl and immediately jumped back to get out of range.

"Let it rip, Mine!" Ieyasu cried out.

"Right!" Mine agreed.

The female assassin then unleashed her power. She shot a direct blast for Kuro's back, hence catching him off guard. The power also surprised Seryu, as her eyes widened in shock.

"It's power increased?!" Seryu questioned. "But…"

Mine landed on the ground with malice. Her shot had been perfect; however Kuro was standing and regenerating rapidly.

"Shit!" Mine cursed angrily. "It's already started regenerating. What unbelievable life force…"

Seryu was madly proud. She could see her chance of winning the fight improving. So it was then she laughed and wickedly glared at Mine. "Don't underestimate Kuro's durability!" She shouted.

Unknown to her, however, Mine's blast had created the perfect cover. This was obvious when the smoke created by the blast allowed Sheele and Ieyasu to move closer to Seryu. As a result, both Teigu users were now close to Seryu when they emerged.

"The Teigu are just tools." Sheele stated seriously. Her eyes had nothing more than the instinct to kill as she drew closer. "All you need to do is kill its user to make it stop!" She added.

"Right! I got your back, Sheele!" Ieyasu affirmed.

Seryu was surprised. Her situation clearly called for quick action, which she did by bringing out her guns. However, Sheele had a trick of her own as she opened her scissors.

"I'll give you cover, Ieyasu! Take her down!" Sheele ordered.

"Yes!" Ieyasu nodded.

With that, Sheele did what she intended. She activated her Teigu's trump card, which was a big flash of light that blinded those in its sight.

"Ecstasy!" Sheele cried out.

In response, Seryu was taken aback. She had to shield her eyes with her right arm to avoid getting blinded, and move back. But that didn't change the fact that she was shocked by the outcome.

"The metal is generating light now?!" Seryu questioned.

At this point, there was little telling on what Night Raid's next action would be. The battle was basically three versus two, which put the Imperial officer at a serious disadvantage. As such, Seryu was taken aback when Ieyasu seemingly appeared before her, ready to slash her with his axe.

"It's over, bitch!" He cried out furiously.

Seryu was instantly angered by this. It was obvious that she was in a difficult situation, but it did not deter her. That is why, the moment she caught sight of Ieyasu, she began moving back and firing at the teen, who in turn used his axe to block the attacks and dodge the others.

' _So the user herself is strong as well.'_ Sheele noted. She stood by with a concentrated look on her face while assessing the fight. _'If I charge right in our victory will be ensured. But even without me, Ieyasu should have the advantage with his Teigu. Plus, Mine will be able to keep the woman's Teigu at bay until the kill is done. This is truly over.'_

Kuro begged to differ, however. He was still confronting Mine when he noticed Seryu in trouble. So, by instinct, the Teigu turned and began running to his mistress's aid. But then Mine shot it by its leg, causing it to stop and turn to her with anger.

"Did you forget about me?" Mine rhetorically asked. "I won't let you go."

Kuro growled in response and faced her entirely. Mine was fine with it, but not to the level to calm down. This was because, like Sheele, she could see the outcome of the fight between Seryu and Ieyasu.

' _This Teigu may be strong for me to take down even in a pinch, but keeping it occupied should be enough till Ieyasu kills its owner.'_ Mine thought observantly. _'But if he can't on time, I'll have to find its core by process of elimination.'_

Back at Ieyasu and Seryu, their fight was reaching its climax. Seryu was still moving back and shooting at the charging teenager, who in turn was now able to maneuver her shots with ease. He was getting close and increasingly stressing Seryu with each passing second. So it came as no surprise then to Ieyasu that she tripped backwards and unintentionally let go of her guns.

' _Oh no!'_ Seryu gasped.

' _Now's my chance!'_ Seryu thought confidently. _'A lot is riding on this! I won't fail Sheele and Mine!'_

So, with that resolve, Ieyasu became serious. He closed the gap between him and Seryu and sliced off her arms instantly. Then, as the girl fell to the ground, he raised his axe up, ready to bring it down on her and end the fight instantly.

Unfortunately, Seryu had one trick up her sleeve. By that, two guns emerged from where her arms used to be before she then madly and psychotically grinned.

"FOOL! YOU'VE LEFT YOURSELF OPEN! JUSTICE WILL ALWAYS WIN!" Seryu exclaimed before she fired a shot from both weapons.

A clang sound was heard which wasn't the sound of a bullet hitting flesh but rather a bullet hitting metal as her bullets had connected with Ieyasu's axe which he had brought down to shield his face just in time thanks to his teigu warning him about her hidden weapons right after he sliced her hands off. Seryu was so shocked by this that she failed to react when Ieyasu suddenly kicked his leg against the girl's twin guns and then with his axe he sliced both guns instantly in an upward slash.

"No…! That's impossible!" Seryu yelled. "This trump card was from my captain!"

However, Ieyasu bothered less with it. In his eyes were the eyes of a hunter against its prey. Thus, he marched his foot against her chest and forced her entirely on the ground with that move. Then, with his axe, he raised it up and was ready to kill her.

"I'm not done yet!" Seryu angrily yelled. "This life was saved by someone special! I won't be taken down easily by evil!"

Just then, the young woman turned to Kuro. "Kuro!" She called out. "Activate your trump card! Beserker!"

Kuro complied with this command. However, unlike other commands, this one shook the tide of the battle. The Teigu that had been held at bay by Mine suddenly grew more fierce, bigger, stronger and wilder. It looked nothing like its former self.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. The Teigu suddenly let out a roar that was so powerful that it shook the ground and caused an ear piercing pain to those close by. Not surprising, Mine, Sheele and Ieyasu were affected by this as each of them dropped their guards and blocked their ears with their hands.

" _So she had a Trump Card."_ Mine thought with strain.

Suddenly, the pink haired assassin was caught off guard. She was grabbed by the giant arm of the Teigu in one swift move that immediately alarmed Sheele and Ieyasu. As for Seryu, she was psychotically pleased despite her position.

"CRUSH HER!" She ordered.

And so the Teigu did as told. The grip on Mine became painful for the little girl. In fact, it was so bad that Mine arm was instantly broken, which caused her to scream. Kuro didn't care though; he just kept pressing on her until Sheele leapt and cut the arm off while Ieyasu caught Mine before she could hit the ground.

"Sheele! Ieyasu!" Mine cried out.

Both people smiled in response.

"We seem to have made it just in time." Sheele sweetly stated.

"Yeah." Ieyasu agreed. "We really –"

Just then, two gunshots were heard. They happened so fast that even Ieyasu couldn't have foreseen it due to his composure then. Thus, right before Mine's eyes, Ieyasu's Teigu broke into pieces while Sheele's back was wounded deeply.

"I…can't move my body." Sheele muttered in shock.

Mine was completely horrified. The same would've been for Ieyasu, if not that the teen was taken aback and in deep shock of his own. As for the one responsible, it was revealed that Seryu was the one, as a small pistol-like opening was in her mouth.

However, the scene didn't stop there. For an obvious reason, Sheele couldn't feel her body. She felt numb in that very instinct and could do nothing about it at that moment. So it was then that Kuro leapt straight at her, intending to take her with its widened mouth.

"S-Sheele! Out of the wayyyyy!" Ieyasu cried out.

Sheele couldn't respond properly, though. The body of the woman was still unable to move. Thus, in order to protect her, Ieyasu quickly put Mine dodge and jumped to Sheele's aid. Then, by pushing her, both him and the young woman hit the ground and Kuro missed.

But the fight was still not over. Kuro landed on the ground on all four legs and then snarled at the Night Raid trio with a thirst for blood. Thus, it was now clear to Ieyasu that they weren't going to win this fight.

"Mine…" Ieyasu softly called. He used that moment to get off Sheele, who was breathing fast. Then he fully turned to the pink haired girl. "Can you still stand up?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah, I can." Mine replied. She then followed this by getting back on her feet. "Tch!" She said. "We're really in a bad pinch."

"I know that." Ieyasu said back. "That is why…when I give the signal; you take Sheele and get the hell out of here."

"What?!" Mine was shocked.

However, Ieyasu didn't speak back about it. Kuro was once again heading towards them, when suddenly he threw his axe straight for Seryu, who was distance away. This surprised the Imperial officer, of course, as she was still sitting on the ground when it happened. Fortunately, Kuro was able to sense his mistress's situation and chase after the axe.

"NOW GOOOOOO!" Ieyasu cried out.

"Are you stupid?!" Mine yelled. "Come with us!"

"No, I can't!" Ieyasu yelled back. This time he was glaring furious at the pink haired assassin. "This is your chance! I'll stay back and keep them busy for you and Sheele to get the fuck out of here!"

Mine was shocked and heartbroken. Here she was, standing at her weakest moment while her junior (in assassin skills anyway) was willing to risk his life for them. It made her realize something about the young man instantly, even to the point of starting to cry.

"We're not leaving you!" Mine cried out. "What about Tatsumi?! Don't you want to see him again?! Don't be stupid, Ieyasu! You're coming with us!"

Ieyasu became silent. He knew perfectly well that the situation he had given himself would guarantee total death. But despite it, he tightened his fist as a sign of his emotional strength and softly began to cry.

"D…DON'T YOU THINK I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE?!" Ieyasu yelled angrily. His attitude shocked even Mine, even as he continued. "TRUST ME! I'M SCARED! I'M VERY SCARED RIGHT NOW! I FACED DEATH'S DOOR ONCE AND I DON'T WANT TO FACE IT AGAIN! BUT…BUT YOU AND SHEELE MATTER A LOT TO TATSUMI!"

Mine was taken aback by the teen's attitude. She hadn't known the teen so well before. In fact, prior to this night, she had always been bossy and mean to him. But then, as the seconds passed, the teen seemed to mellow down his tone and retain a lot of sadness in his voice.

"Now…don't get me wrong…" He said. "Tatsumi and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember. I want to be there for him always…I want to fight alongside him countless more times…But…But if it's to protect Tatsumi's new friends…, the ones who gave him a purpose to keep fighting, then I would gladly lay down for life to protect them."

"Ieyasu…" Mine muttered.

The look of sadness was written all over the female assassin's face. It understood Ieyasu now, probably more than she ever did. But sadly there was nothing she could do to change the teen's mind, especially as he continued.

"So please…please just go." The teen said. Then he cried tears. "Oh and…tell Tatsumi…being with him with this past month has been…the best times of my life."

Mine squeezed her eyes shut and cried. She wanted nothing more than to bottle this emotions away. However, she couldn't, and as such she nodded to the teen. "I will! I will…! But dammit! Tatsumi will be depressed you know!"

Ieyasu cocked a small grin. "So…you really do care about us…huh?"

Mine said nothing back. She could've, but she couldn't find the words to say it. She knew enough had been said for things to not get any more complicated. Thus, with some effort, she tried to get Sheele's arm around her. But after a short effort, Ieyasu went to her and helped put the bleeding woman's arm over Mine's neck.

"I…I guess this is goodbye." Mine said softly.

"Yeah…" Ieyasu tearfully smiled. "Please…take care of Tatsumi for me."

"I will…I promise." Mine replied assuredly.

"NONE OF YOU ARE LEAVING HERE!" The Imperial officer shouted. She was now back on her feet with her Teigu furiously staring at them. "And by the way, your petty axe is gone?! Evil will never prevail!"

"Tch." Ieyasu responded in frustration.

Trouble just seems to keep coming whether the teen liked it or now. First, his Teigu was destroyed and now his axe was gone. He clearly didn't like the odds against him, but upon seeing Mine and Sheele in their weakest moment he slowly walked over to where Extase lay on the ground and lifted it over his shoulder. This in turn surprised everyone.

"What are you doing?!" Mine yelled. "You can't use Extase! You're not compatible!"

Seryu laughed full-heartedly. In her eyes, she was seeing the last attempts of evil-doers trying to save their lives. However, Ieyasu didn't seem bothered by it as he raised the giant scissors up above him.

"Laugh all you want, bitch, but the battle isn't over!" Ieyasu cried out loud. "The first means to get a Teigu is your impression of it, right…?! Well…my impression of it is that it should give me enough power to protect the ones I care about…right here…RIGHT NOW! ECSTASY!"

Suddenly, Extase shined a bright light. The action instantly surprised everyone at that moment as none of them had expected such to happen. But it was in good timing, anyway. Mine used that chance to glance over Ieyasu for the last time before then moving herself and Sheele away.

' _I'm sorry.'_ Mine thought sadly.

Back at Ieyasu, the teen kept his position and stance. He could see Mine and Sheele leaving the area, when suddenly he felt fatigue. It was strange, as the teen hadn't anticipated that. However, despite straining himself, he stood in place and waited for Mine and Sheele to be away from the edge of his eyesight before then letting out a cry of relief and piercing Extase into the ground.

"I…I did it…" Ieyasu smiled. _'But using Extase was dangerous. I may have a good impression on it, but…I'm still not suitable mentally. As such…I have to push myself to use its power…even if it's just for a bit longer…even if it kills me.'_

Back at Seryu and Kuro, the two of them were furious. The both of them had just witnessed their victory slip away from them at that moment. However, before any of them said anything, numerous lights came from a specific direction and not long a big number of Imperial officers came rushing in.

"Over there!" shouted one officer. "They're doing battle! Bring in reinforcement!"

Seryu grinned in response. Maybe it wasn't too late to kill Ieyasu and deal with the girls that fled the scene.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Seryu laughed manically. "IT'S OVER, NIGHT RAID SCUM! THE CALVERY OF JUSTICE HAS ARRIVED AND WE WILL DEAL SWIFT JUSTICE ON YOU AND THOSE SCUMS THAT RAN AWAY!"

"Hmph!" Ieyasu huffed.

The teen became quiet soon after. He could see that his situation had just become rough. But surprisingly he didn't show any fear. He showed a firm look on his face as he struggled to his feet by Extase's aid. Then, with a loud voice, he laughed, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"What's so funny?!" Seryu yelled. A sadistic grin was on her face. "Have you finally accepted your fate, evil-doer?!"

"Yep!" Ieyasu responded. However, he had a grin of his own as he glared at the girl. "But don't think that this is over just yet! You and your dog and your fucking reinforcement will have to get through me to get to those two…! Because…because those two are precious to my best friend, I swear…I won't let you bastards get one inch to them!"

Seryu's grin grew wider than before. She was mildly impressed by the teen; however she saw it as fruitless. Thus, she sent her arm forward at the teen and made her command.

"Fine! Then die!" She yelled. "Kuro, finish him off!"

Kuro did as ordered and charged at the teen. At the same time, Ieyasu pulled Extase out of the ground and charged at the Teigu with a loud cry.

"COME AT ME, DOOOOGGG!" He cried out.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Aria let out a huff of air and rubbed her hand through her blonde hair. She was a messed and in tiring mood as she walked alongside Ben. It had been an hour since they had arrived in the Capital, as they were in the company of Satou and talking about the event of the day.

"That was so exhausting…" Aria said. "I know I should train more, but…Danger beasts are the worse."

Ben laughed a bit in response. "Well I guess they do." He said cheerfully. "But they make good practice. I haven't felt that much thrill in a fight in a long time. I'm so gamed to go to Mt. Fake again tomorrow."

"Stupid…" Aria commented.

Satou laughed in response. Though he hated the girl, Ben's enthusiasm never ceased to amaze him. However, there was a reason Aria called him stupid. She revealed this by pulling Ben's arm and then whispering into his ears.

"Your watch is timed out, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it's cool." Ben whispered back. He still had a cheerful look on his face. "Give it a few minutes and it'll be recharged before you know it. Besides, it's not like anything bad will happen."

" **Tennyson, is that you?!"**

Immediately, Ben, Aria and Satou turned to the source of it. The teen hero somewhat recognized that voice, especially because it sounded desperate. Hence, upon turning, they saw both Mine and Sheele heading to their direction, before the former girl finally gave into her fatigue and fell to the ground.

In response, Ben and his companions were surprised and shocked at the scene. The physical looks on Mine and Sheele's bodies were in terrible shape, especially for Sheele. As such, when Ben and the others ran to the scene, they gasped, with the teen hero bending down and holding Sheele in his arms.

"She's…She's been shot." Ben noted. However, that wasn't the worse of it. Sheele was losing blood, and as such she was turning pale. Hence, Ben turned to Satou."We need to get them out of here. Can we use your –"

"There's no time for that!" Mine suddenly interjected. Her physical body was weak, as she tried lifting her body up with her shaky arms. "Ieyasu…Ieyasu is in trouble! We were sent on a mission to take out some guy…! And on the way, we ran into some Imperial officer and her biological Teigu…dog thing…!"

Ben eyes widened, with his mouth gaping. He knew instantly on who Mine was speaking about. Thus, he couldn't help but utter the name.

"Seryu…"

Mine was a bit startled. She didn't figure in the slightest that Ben would know the name.

"You know that name…?" She asked.

Ben said nothing back to her. A bunch of emotions were already going on within him that went along with the situation. Hence, he carefully placed Sheele on the ground and turned to Satou with a serious look. "They need help! Attend to Sheele and the girl's wounds and get them out of hereI don't care where it is! Just do it!"

"I will." Satou nodded.

Meanwhile, Aria was surprised at the scene. She felt confused by Ben's sudden shift in mood and the predicament that the two Night Raid members were. However, no sooner than that happened, she watched as Ben ran off immediately before Mine suddenly collapsed to the ground unconscious.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Bodies of Imperial officers lay on the ground, with those still alive standing and watching. Reinforcement had been called in as it was clear from the past ten minutes that the Night Raid member was harder to beat. He had not only fought Kuro to a close stalemate, but killed some Imperial officers that dared used the fight between him and the Teigu to get to Mine and Sheele. In other words, he was a monster in the area.

Unfortunately, there was only so much Ieyasu could do. The teen was still able to fend for himself, but he was reaching his limits. It also didn't help that Extase was beginning to reject him more and more to a certain extent, thus giving him greater fatigue, mentally and physically.

Kuro, therefore, used his power over the human to his advantage. He was able to catch Ieyasu by surprise by backhanding him with his huge hand. As a result, the teen was sent rolling furiously on the surface on the ground until then coming to a stop, badly wounded.

Now the climax of the battle had truly reached. The teen assassin was beaten, with blood covering certain parts of his body and clothes. However, rather than give in to his bleeding body, the teen slowly rose from the ground and looked around him in search of Sheele's Teigu.

"Looking for this?" asked a certain sadistic Imperial officer.

In Kuro's hand was Sheele's Teigu. Ieyasu was taken aback by the sight before a scowl came over his face. As for Seryu, she stood meters from her Teigu and grinned sadistically at the teen's poor state.

"Give that back, bitch!" Ieyasu yelled angrily. "That's Sheele's Teigu, not yours!"

Seryu laughed in response. She found it pathetic that Ieyasu was still concerned for a fellow 'criminal' despite the poor state he was in. But seeing as he was defenseless now, she replied. "Evil-doers like you will be done in! As for the Teigu, it shall serve the arms of justice to track down other criminal filths like you!"

Ieyasu gritted his teeth angrily. He care that he was defenseless; he was just pissed off that Sheele's weapon would be used to kill possible innocent people.

Sadly, there was nothing even Ieyasu could do. He watched helplessly as Kuro tossed the Teigu to the Imperial officers, who then watched it pierce the ground before them. Then, as the Teigu turned to face him, he looked around him for a weapon and found a stray sword near a dead body of an Imperial officer next to him.

The teen immediately took it.

' _Why…Why am I still fighting?'_ Ieyasu asked himself. His body still felt heavily beaten as he clutched the weapon in his hand. _'I don't have any Teigu left…and Sheele and Mine should be far from here by now…So why? Why am I still fighting? I'm clearly going to die here anyway.'_

Kuro let out a furious roar. The roar was very powerful, as it instantly let Ieyasu scream in pain. Hence, before the teen knew it, the Teigu grabbed him in his hand and hit him hard on the ground, creating huge cracks.

"Guh!" Ieyasu spat out blood.

"YEEESSSSS!" Seryu cheered sadistically. "Crush him, Kuro! End him once and for all!"

Kuro responded with a huff and did as told. He lifted Ieyasu's half-unconscious body in his hand and tightened his grip around him. Then, with his strength, he began squeezing the teen, who in return cried out in unbelievable pain while Seryu laughed maniacally.

' _I-I'm actually going to die…'_ Ieyasu thought sadly. _'But at least I went out with a fight…I just wish…I could speak with Ben…even for the last time.'_

Ieyasu's Teigu suddenly sparked. It was still missing the main piece that was its function. However, the fragment that remembered began to spark, with the teen unintentionally making a mental connection with a certain teen hero.

_(LINE BREAK)_

For the past minute, Ben had been running. He ran and ran as fast as he could, while attempting to use the Omnitrix, with no success. The alien watch was clearly still in recharge mode, meaning even the teen hero was defenseless. However, that didn't deter him in the slightest. He still ran forward with as much strength as he could muster.

' _Dammit, Omnitrix!'_ Ben cried out in his head. _'Just when I need you the most, you're still in recharge mode!'_

' _Ben…?'_ asked a voice in the teen's head. _'….Ben is that really you?'_

Ben suddenly came to a stop. He was a bit taken aback, but at the same time alarmed as he looked at his left and right confused.

' _Ieyasu?'_ Ben questioned.

' _Yes…it's really you…Thank God.'_ responded Ieyasu's voice.

Ben was still confused, though.

' _What's going on? How are you in my head?'_ Ben questioned.

' _I…I don't know…'_ Ieyasu admitted. _'But there's little time left for me.'_

Ben became even more alarmed. It didn't make sense to him that Ieyasu was in his head, nor did he try to reason it. But when he heard those weakening words from the teen, he began to run again.

Nevertheless, Ieyasu continued.

' _Before I leave this world…there are some things I wish to say to you. I know things haven't been good between us this past month…with what happened to Sayo because of Aria…But I just want you to know that…despite how much I acted badly about you…I always appreciated what you did for me that time…You gave me a second life to experience…For that…I'm very thankful.'_

"You can tell me all that later, idiot!" Ben yelled determinedly. "Wait for me, Ieyasu! I'm coming to save you!"

' _No! Don't!'_ Ieyasu yelled. " _This bitch's Teigu is stronger than I thought! You don't want to get involved in this!'_

"Of course I do!" Ben yelled. "Omnitrix or no Omnitrix, I'm still a hero! And I will save youuuuuu!"

Ieyasu cried out in pain. Apparently, Kuro increased the grip on his and now broke his arm and chest bones. It was horrible to the boy, as all he could do was endure it. But then, a smirk formed on his face which led to him spitting some blood into the Teigu's eye. Ben's words had given him courage.

So in that moment, Ieyasu was free. He landed on his back and winced badly from it. Fortunately, the teen was able to endure it and pick up his sword that had dropped earlier.

' _That kind of dedication is what I like about you, Ben!'_ Ieyasu stated proudly. _'I've been fighting wrong! I know where this shit's core is! I can still win this fight!'_

Ben heard the teen assassin perfectly well. But that didn't slow him down in the slightest. In fact, if anything, it just made him to keep running faster, even as he finally approached the area, with Ieyasu and the Kuro in sight.

"That's Seryu's Teigu…?" Ben was shocked.

Now at this point, the teen hero was still running. But so was Ieyasu at that moment. They didn't lock eyes though, due to the distances between them. Ieyasu's right arm was broken, so he had to rely on his bruised left arm to dive the sword forward for a piercing attack. It was a good thing then that Kuro was wide open.

So with that, Ieyasu got closer. He let out a battle cry with each step he took, while maintaining his sword's grip. Surprisingly, it seemed he would succeed despite his limits long since being passed. In other words, his body was now being driven by willpower. Thus, he would drive his sword right into Kuro's core and destroy it instantly.

Unfortunately, the teen didn't win like he hoped. A bang was heard, followed by the teen's grunt as something hit in by the waist side. And it all seemed to happen slowly in the eyes of Ben, who was in shock especially when he heard Ieyasu's sword drop to the ground.

Seryu was sadistically pleased. It was revealed then by the pistol opening in her mouth that she had been the cause. It was also obvious when Ieyasu's descending body had a bullet wound by the waist side.

And so nothing could be done. Seryu resembled that of a demon, as her snickering face held such a horror. Ieyasu, on the other hand, was a goner. He was descending to the ground when suddenly Kuro jabbed his claws into the teen's abdomen, thus cutting him in half. But if that wasn't enough for a horrified Ben, the Teigu lifted the upper body of the teen and lung him up into the air where from below it opened its mouth wide open, waiting for the teen to fall in.

The scene was truly a horror to behold. It was also beyond anything Ben had ever seen in his life. Blood splattered on the ground while Ieyasu's bottom half fell to the ground, spilling its own blood. It was just too much for Ben to comprehend. In fact, it was so bad that Ben's body stopped running and came to a stop. However, something in Ben still made his body to march forward even though Ieyasu's fate seemed inevitable.

' _Ben…'_ Ieyasu called. The tone of his voice sounded like a dying young man as he continued. _'Ben…thank you for everything…It was because of you that I was able to experience a second life…I got to be around Tatsumi a bit longer…and I made friends in Night Raid. The memories we shared with Sayo and Tatsumi were the happiest ones of my life…I will never forget you…Please don't ever forget me.'_

And so, in his final moment, Ieyasu smiled. It was odd, but he felt at peace with himself especially as he closed his mouth. This was also followed with past memories of his time with Tatsumi, Sayo and Ben and fresh memories of his time with Night Raid. Hence, it was with these memories that he fell right into Kuro's mouth and was bitten down in one swift move, dying immediately.

So while this moment was joyous for Seryu, Ben was overwhelmed by it. His eyes were shaky as he stared at the sight of Kuro biting down on his friend. It was horrifying, as just looking at it made the teen feel weak in the legs and thus fall to his knees.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the worse of it. No, the worse came when fragments of Ieyasu's blood flew into the air like a sprinkler, with a few of it dropping on Ben's body.

"U-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh…" Ben uttered. His voice felt shaky as even his mind couldn't comprehend easily on the sight before him.

But then, to add insult to his moment, the Omnitrix finally recharged. It made a sound to alert its own on its new status. But it didn't matter. It just added more to the teen's pain as he finally screamed the word that had been bottled up in him.

" **IEEEYASSUUUUUUUU!"** Ben cried out.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **And we've reached the end of yet another chapter. Thank you for reading this chapter, I know it had an expected ending unlike most of my chapters. But come on, this is Akame ga kill. It basically strives on moments like these from time to time.**

 **Anyway, there was an alternate version for this chapter and an alternate version for the overall fanfic. Now I can't tell you much since it doesn't matter anymore, but I still think you guys should know.**

 **In the alternate version of this chapter, Sheele was supposed to die off. The difference would've been that she died in Night Raid's headquarters (intact of course) after Ben saved her and Mine.**

 **As for the alternate version of this fanfic, it concerned Ieyasu. His role was meant to be widened; however I later changed my mind. The reason is because the beta-reader for this fanfic wanted Sheele to live (just like all of you wanted). So because of that I changed this chapter and the direction of the fanfic I had for Ieyasu and presented this.**

 **Now don't get me wrong. This doesn't mean I plan on killing as many characters as the manga/anime had done. I do promise that certain characters will be saved (both from good and bad) while other certain characters will be killed off (both good and bad). Confusing? I'm sorry about that. But please just keep reading to find out. This is Akame ga Kill; I think it would be insulting to the anime/manga if everyone lived, whether Ben or otherworldly character was there.**

 **Thank you for reading this chapter. There's much more to expect in the next chapter, so please supporting this fanfic.**

 **Merry Christmas!**


	22. Rage, Resolve and Her Return?

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! I'm Man of Cartoons and I'm here with another awesome chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you for the support you give me, it helps a lot. Now about the previous chapter, I realize just how depressing it was, especially to you guys (the readers). But at least you guys know this fanfiction is as unpredictable as it gets.

Anyway, I've decided to update this chapter for ya'll to find some comfort in. It isn't long as my usual ones, but I am working on the next chapter which will be longer.

So with that out of the way, here's another awesome chapter.

 **Chapter 22:**

Ben's eyes were still shaky when it all happened. His eyes never strayed away from Kuro's massive figure and his mind didn't reflect on anything other than Ieyasu killed right before him. It was traumatic and at the same time even unexpected for the teen's mind to process well. Thus, the tears that ran down his cheeks never seemed to cease.

But then something caught his attention. It wasn't of something good, but something that made his heart feel like it was being squeeze. Seryu Ubiquitos was laughing to her heart's content.

"At last! At last! Justice won this night!" She exclaimed 'cheerfully'. She was unaware of Ben's presence, even despite his scream earlier. Hence, a sadistic smile was widened across her face as she spread her mostly amputated arms apart.

Ben Tennyson was now sickened. He could see the young woman clearly, even despite the tears. However, the sight just burned a new feeling of rage in him with that depression. As a result, he slowly rose back to his feet while staring at the ground.

"You…You killed Ieyasu…" He muttered.

"Huh?" Seryu was confused. But then she saw Ben and smiled widely. "Ben? Ben! Did you see that?! Did you see just how swift justice was carried out?!"

Ben tightened his fists in response. If the rage in him wasn't increasing before, it certainly was now.

"Yeah…I saw it…" Ben said with a strain voice. A small part of him wanted to hold back. However, it was too late. He raised his head at her, with the Omnitrix at his chest level and his hand above it. "Now you're going to pay!"

With that, Ben slammed his hand down on the exposed Omnitrix core. The transformation then took place as the usual green light engulfed his body. Hence, when the change was completed, Ben stood as…

" **WHAMPIIIREEEE**!"

Seryu was confused and surprised. She hadn't seen this form of Ben, nor could she make sense of what the teen just said. As for her fellow Imperial officers, they were baffled at the alien transformation as they stared at it.

Whampire resembled that of a vampire, which was scary. His green eyes were glaring angrily at Seryu as his sharp yellow teeth were visible for all to see like a predator. As for his clothing, it composed of black and green jumpsuit, black gloves with green fingers that possessed his sharp claws, as well as other accessories.

In other words, his appearance was terrifying. Whampire didn't seem in the least terrifying. Hence, the next thing the Imperial officers knew, the alien hero let out a sonic scream. It was an attack unlike any other heard of, as not only was it loud, but it hurt the ears so badly that even holding their hands against their ears did little to help.

So while that happened, Seryu screamed in pain louder than the others. She had no hands to cover her ears, nor could she move her own body. Whampire's scream was powerful and as a result the Imperial officer fell to the ground unconscious.

Kuro became enraged. He just witnessed Seryu falling to the ground before turning to Whampire for vengeance. However, before he could react, Whampire jumped straight at him and punched him right in the face with so much force that he was sent flying towards the other Imperial officers.

Fortunately, there were no actual causalities. The Imperial officers did get out of the way, but only in time to see Kuro hit the ground on his back. As a result, many of them were terrified and scared due to the obvious show of power. But before any of them could say anything, Kuro was back on his feet, when Whampire then came down with a front flip kick on the Teigu's head, sending a big blow.

Kuro hadn't expected such an attack, so he couldn't react. As a result, he cried out in a mix of pain and rage, before then grabbing Whampire by the leg and pulling him close. But then, before he could do anything, the alien hero let out another sonic scream that caused the Teigu to let go and sent back flying.

"What do we do?!" shouted one scared Imperial guard.

"Can we even handle that?!" shouted another.

"No way! I'm not facing that! Did you see his brute strength?!"

One Imperial officer snarled in response. He was a young man with blonde hair, and possibly the only person not afraid of the scene. But that didn't change the fact that the fight between Whampire and Kuro was beyond their control. Thus he took action by gesturing to the woods.

"Fall back!" He commanded. "We'll alert the Imperial army! They'll be able to handle this with Grand General Budo!"

All the Imperial officers present complied. As a result, they made their move. They did as what the male Imperial officer commanded by heading straight for the woods. Meanwhile, the fight between Kuro and Whampire was far from over, especially when Kuro ran straight for the alien hero with its mouth open.

Unknown to him, though, the alien hero was ready. He could see the Teigu coming, before then running straight at him with his hands spread out. Then, the moment they closed the gap between them, Kuro sent his huge hand down on Whampire, only to then miss when the alien hero jumped.

So before Kuro knew it, he was hit again. This time, while above Whampire, the alien hero sent both his fists down on the Teigu's head with a devastating result. Whampire's attack not only sent the Teigu entirely down to the ground, but it sent a shockwave so powerful that it tore apart the ground in the area, affecting the Imperial officers still fleeing.

There were some that escaped, but the others weren't lucky. Hence, before they knew it, they were sent flying and screaming to different directions. Seryu, on the other hand, was unconscious when she was affected by the shockwave. But then when she was flown to a tree, she suddenly regained consciousness at that moment.

"Huh…what…?" Seryu mumbled.

For the moment, the young woman was confused. She felt hurt head hurting, as her mind felt dizzy when she tried looking around. But then, that feeling slowly began subside, especially when she turned to Kuro and Whampire and saw what was happening.

"Ben…? Kuro…?" She muttered, still dizzy.

Back at the fight, the scene was intense. Kuro was back on his feet while Whampire was close to his him at his front. But the Teigu was unsuccessful against the alien hero. This was because Whampire was so incredibly fast that not even his thirst for blood could match to it. Hence, with each time he missed, Whampire returned it with precise hits at his face by both his fists.

Just then, Whampire changed his fight pattern. First, he dodged another of Kuro's swings, before then flying over him and grabbing the top of the Teigu's head. Then, as he came down for a landing, he swung the Teigu over his head and slammed its body hard on the ground before then doing a spin and throwing the Teigu away into the woods.

So by the time Kuro came to a stop, he had knocked down about ten trees. It could've then stopped there, but Whampire's throw also made him to brush against the surface of the ground, leaving a trail by him.

Kuro decided then tried to stand up. He may be a Teigu, he still felt pain. However, before he could get up, Whampire suddenly landed on his chest, causing yet another tremor. Hence, the next thing Kuro knew was being punched severely and rapidly at the face by the raged-filled alien hero.

" **DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIIIIEEEEE!"** Whampire yelled angrily. **"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?! YOU TOOK AWAY IEYASU, SO JUST DIE ALREAADDYYYY!"**

Kuro could say nothing in his situation. He was at this point running out of energy to combat the alien hero, and to make matters worse for him, his head was being torn apart repeatedly by Whampire's punches despite his enhanced healing ability. Thus, he decided to act.

Kuro was still in pain when he decided to grab Whampire with his huge arm. However, before he could make the actual grab, Whampire stopped his assault on him, only to then turn to that arm and swiftly use his sharp claws to shred it into pieces.

It was now clear on who had the upper hand. Kuro was increasing getting exhausted due to retaining the form of Beserker mode and combating a foe clearly stronger than him. But then Whampire decided to turn it up by glowing green energy, ready to let out an explosion of immense power.

However, something (or someone) intervened. Whampire was about to let out the explosion, when suddenly he heard a familiar female voice call out to him.

"Ben, stop!"

Whampire immediately stopped. He wasn't taken aback or related to any soft emotion, though. In fact, if anything, he was angrier than before because he recognized that voice. But he still turned and hissed when he got a sight of Seryu standing there.

"Wha-What are you doing?!" Seryu yelled. She wasn't pleased by Whampire's action; she was furious. "Kuro isn't the enemy! He's a good boy who delivered justice on Night Raid tonight! We shouldn't be fighting!"

Whampire growled and gritted his teeth in response. Seryu didn't dissolve the situation; she just made it worse. And since Ben was losing control of his emotions, his alien's primal instinct was increasingly getting the better of him. Hence, he suddenly flew at the Imperial officer with his claws out to deal with her.

" **THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!"** He cried out.

Seryu was taken aback. She could clearly see that Whampire was coming after her. However, her mind couldn't process a way out of her situation. Hence, in her moment, she stood there with widened eyes as Whampire drew closer to her with each seconds.

Fortunately for her, Whampire didn't succeed. He would've, but Kuro surprisingly stood in his way and then grabbing his mistress to his chest to shield her. As such, Whampire became enraged and let out a cry that led to him pouring his increasing frustration at Kuro with a punch, sending both of them flying into the air.

They eventually hit the ground. But before that, Kuro's body broke through a tower and then made a trail on the ground's surface. As for their new location, it was a populous district in the Capital, which was obvious by the people around. They had been attending to their normal business when they had noticed the Teigu crash.

Fortunately, no one stayed back to watch. They were scared by the huge Teigu, especially due to its sudden presence. Thus, the people around screamed and ran off in different directions, leaving Kuro by himself. It was fine, though, as it was then at that moment that the Teigu removed his arms from Seryu, who then sat up.

"Shit…What the hell was that…?" Seryu questioned, confused. One moment she was in a time of victory and now she was in this situation. But before she could question it further, she noticed steam coming from Kuro, which in turn concerned her. "Oh no…Kuro, you've overworked yourself in Berserker mode. That isn't good." She said.

Kuro made a soft groan. He knew perfectly what his mistress said. However, his senses were still sharp, especially to the point of noticing danger.

Therefore, to protect her, the Teigu pushed Seryu off her. His action at that moment surprised Seryu, who was about to question it. However, before she could, Whampire landed down on the Teigu with so much force that a shockwave went through the ground and broke it apart.

Seryu was taken aback. When the ground broke apart, it took much of her effort to not fall down entirely. But then it didn't matter, because at that moment she witnessed in shock as Whampire let out a cry and then released an explosive green energy. This energy was so powerful that it not only engulfed Kuro, but shot right into the sky, departing the clouds there.

"KUROOOO!" Seryu screamed.

The female Imperial officer was now deeply concerned and fearful for her Teigu. She couldn't have done anything to stop the attack even if she wanted to. As such, she just stood there with widened eyes at the area where her Teigu had laid and waited for the dust cloud to clear.

Unfortunately for her, the sight wasn't pleasing. A part of her hoped her Teigu made it, however she was proven wrong when she saw a hole in the place Kuro was. But then it became worse when she saw Whampire levitate in the air with a familiar orb in his hand, much to her shock.

It was then at that moment that Seryu snapped. She had been confused and concerned for Ben's behavior for too long. Hence, her inner self revealed itself as the look of the killer she was, especially as she ran straight for the alien hero. Now she didn't care whether Ben was friend or foe; she just wanted him dead.

"GET AWAY FROM HIIIMMMMMM!" She cried out.

Now at this moment, it was obvious the Imperial officer was at a huge disadvantage. She had no arms and neither did she have any weapons to fight. But that didn't matter to her. She was in her killer mode, as obvious by her behavior.

However, her shift in attitude wasn't good enough. Whampire did notice her, but only after tossing the orb away without a single thought and flying towards her. Hence, before she knew it, he was right in front of her and backhanding her at the face.

Seryu cried out in pain. She hadn't expected such an attack, especially in her sudden 'berserker' mode. But it didn't matter, because as she was sent flying, Whampire suddenly showed up behind her, where he then backhanded her from behind, sending her flying to another direction. This time, though, she ended up rolling roughly against the ground before crashing into a wooden stall.

Now at this point, one would guess that Seryu had gone through enough. But they would be wrong. Seryu was able to muster the strength to stand from the stall, panting and badly wounded. The armor she wore now had cracks on them while other parts of her clothing had tears. But if that wasn't enough, her hair which was known to be tied in a big ponytail was now loose.

Unknown to her, though, her action only upset Whampire more. The Imperial officer was able to stand for a few seconds, before suddenly being attacked again. This time the young woman was grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground by Whampire, where she could only dangle.

"Let…me…go…" Seryu said. Her throat was tightening, as the grip on her was strong. However, despite this, she spat some spit at Whampire, who in turn growled.

Whampire then unleashed his fury on her. He was in no control of himself, as each second his alien's primal instinct was getting stronger. Thus, his power increased more than it normally could, even to the point that he was now completely reckless.

So before Seryu knew it, Whampire dealt with her. He first threw her away, only to then show up behind her and kick her at the back. Hence, as she was sent flying forward, he suddenly showed up at her front and grabbed her neck, before then running off with her with a speed that broke the sound barrier.

As a result, the beating continued Seryu was taken to a few feet away, when Whampire suddenly threw her forward. But before she could hit the ground, Whampire ran at her side and punched her at the side, sending her flying to the other direction. Then, as she was about to hit the ground, he kicked her right in the stomach, sending her to yet another direction.

This then became a pattern. Seryu suffered in Whampire's hands, as he would send her flying to one direction, only to then hit her again and repeat the process all over. Hence, when he was about to stop, he kicked her at the stomach and sent her a meter higher than him, before then grabbing the woman's ankle and knocking her against the ground hard, creating huge cracks on the ground.

Finally, the beating came to the end. As for its results, it was all over Seryu, who coughed off some blood. Her body was almost entirely covered by blood as her armor was almost entirely gone. Even the clothes she wore underneath had tears all over them.

' _Am…Am I…Am I going to die?'_ Seryu wondered, scared. She had tried to retain her savage mode, but it had crumbled once she was beaten severely. _'No…I can't die…'_ She thought. _'I don't want to die here…not until I've made Night Raid…pay.'_

Whampire suddenly grabbed the Imperial officer by the throat. He couldn't read her thoughts, but he was still vengeful. Hence, as he lifted the woman, her fear increased.

' _No…No…I have to retreat…I have to…'_ And then another fearful thought came to the Imperial officer. _'Oh shit…I…I can't move my body…I can't –'_

Whampire suddenly snarled directly at her face. By now he had a tightened grip on the Imperial officer who couldn't do anything against him. The moment was ripe for revenge, and so his claws were slowly digging into her throat.

" **Blood! Blood! You reek of blood!"** Whampire said menacingly. He was losing more control of his sense as the vampire instinct in him was taking over. Hence he continued. **"I'll take it all! I'll make you pay for what you did! Now DIE!"**

Whampire then tightened his grip on her neck. He could feel the blood of the Imperial officer now trailing on his fingertips. But he didn't stop there. He also pulled back his other arm and sharpened its claws ready to kill Seryu.

" **THIS IS FOR IEYASU!"** Whampire cried out.

"Ben…stop." said a far-off voice.

Whampire suddenly halted his attack. His hand was just an inch close to Seryu's chest when he had heard that voice. It shocked him, though, as just hearing it brought a sense of confusion and normalcy to him as his eyes widened.

"I…Ieyasu…?" Whampire questioned.

 **FLASHBACK**

 **THE VILLAGE: TATSUMI'S HOUSE**

"Ben…stop." Ieyasu said.

Ben groaned in mild frustration. For some time now, the teen hero had been trying to remove scales from a fish in Tatsumi's house. Sayo didn't help him, with the same for Tatsumi since both of them had something else to do. So now there was just him and Ieyasu, the latter of whom just shook his head and pushed the teen aside and took the knife.

"Step aside and let the expert do it." Ieyasu said smugly.

"Whatever." Ben said with a stubborn tone.

Ieyasu paid him no attention, though. His focus was on the fish, which was on a wooden board before him. So for the next few minutes, the teen demonstrated how to cut the scales from the fish, to which Ben paid little attention to until Ieyasu shot a glare at him.

"You're not listening are you?" He asked.

"Uh…lucky guess?" Ben smiled sheepishly.

Ieyasu sighed and chuckled. "It's fine. If this was Sayo, she would slap you silly."

"Ha…ha…yeah." Ben responded awkwardly.

"By the way, Ben…" Ieyasu then said. "What do you think of being here…? We're basically poor and we got nothing to do…Doesn't it frustrate you?"

"No." Ben answered. "I'll admit you guys don't have what I'm used to, but I won't hold it against you guys. The fact you're all willing to work hard just for the sake of others is what I think matters."

Ieyasu smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He said. "To be honest, you're a pain in the ass sometimes…but even I have to admit you're a good guy. You've helped Sayo, Tatsumi and just about everyone in this village every day. And even though we owe you a lot, you never ask for a favor. Heck, you even made life easier for everyone here."

"Wow…thanks." Ben smirked and nudged the teen by the shoulder. "So that's how you feel about me huh?"

Ben was then surprised by Ieyasu. It happened the moment he teased the teen, who in turn threw the knife he was using to barely scrap past Ben's cheek and strike into a wooden wall.

"Dammit…I missed." Ieyasu remarked.

"Not funny, dude." Ben retorted.

Ieyasu laughed. He enjoyed the embarrass look that was on the teen's face, especially when he went to the wall and pulled the knife out. But then, the mood changed as the teen smiled at him.

"Anyway, be sure to remember this because I'm never going to say it again." Ieyasu said confidently. "I think being a hero suits you a lot, so stick to it, okay?"

Ben was mildly taken aback. At one moment the teen made him a fool and on another he was talking about him again. It was odd, even for the spiky haired teen. However, that mood changed to a smile for Ben, who in turn nodded determinedly.

"Sure thing." He said.

 **FLASHBACK END**

Whampire was now silent. His hands were shaky, though, especially the one that he held Seryu with. He would have liked nothing more than to end the Imperial officer's life; however he didn't move any closer to end her life. Instead he stood there, recognizing that memory.

' _Why…Why did I have to remember that…?'_ He questioned. He was trying seriously to stay angry since it was the only drive he needed. However, he couldn't, as observant by his facial expression changing. _'Dammit, Ieyasu…are you trying to tell me something now?'_ He asked.

Whampire didn't know what to make of his state. In one side, his alien's instinct was telling him to go on and kill Seryu, while on the other side there was a sense of reason coming. It felt contradictory to him as it made him feel confused and powerlessness.

But maybe there was hope. Whampire was still standing in silence when he heard a crack sound. He didn't know why it happened, but it did drive him to turn to the area and come to a shocking realization. That crack he heard was from a piece of wood breaking off from the stall Seryu had crashed into.

"Oh no…What have I done?"Whampire muttered.

Indeed, what had he done? Ben Tennyson was used to different situations. However, the scene around him made him come to a conclusion. He could see the destruction that he had caused, as well as the injuries on Seryu when he turned to her.

However, the teen hero said nothing. He could've, but he chose not to for some reason. Thus, he became silent and serious as he then carefully placed Seryu on the ground and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his stomach, changing back to normal.

From then on, the scene became awkwardly silent. Seryu was too weak to act, so she just watched Ben suddenly remove his green coat and white shirt. She was confused by his action, as he was yet to say any word. But when he then began to tear pieces of the clothes, only to then start bandaging her wounds, she knew something was off.

"Why…?" Seryu suddenly asked. She drew Ben's attention by that word and glared at him angrily. "You think this will make me to forgive you for what you did…?! Don't make me laugh!"

"I'm not doing it for you." Ben admitted seriously. He was now glaring back at the young woman with a cold look. "If I let you die here, I'll be no better than you. You use your power to pursue some false sense of justice. Now my friend is gone and it's all thanks to you."

"Your friend…?" Seryu asked, confused. But then she became angry. "You're with Night Raid?!"

"No." Ben answered. "You and Night Raid are just both sides of the same coin. You both have your own worldview of things that always have to involve killing. But that's not me. I made a promise that I'll stay a hero, so I'll keep to that promise to honor him."

Seryu said nothing back. She still felt confused by Ben's resolve as she stared at him, though. But then Ben turned his back at her and began walking away.

"Someone should come by and help you out soon." Ben said casually. "But just know this…" He suddenly stopped and glared at Seryu. "If I find out you hurt another innocent life, I will find you and I will take you down."

Seryu growled with a low tone. She didn't like the threat from the hero, not in the slightest. However, there was no word from her or the hero immediately after. Instead, there were just silence between them until they heard lightning from the clouds and looked up.

"Odd…Is it about to rain?" Ben questioned. He was skeptic about the thought, though, due to the nature of the weather.

And it was a good thing he did. He noticed right there that a shot of lightning was coming straight for him. Fortunately, he was able to jump out of the way and land some feet away from the spot. But that didn't mean the scene ended there. No, instead Ben felt some tension as the place he once stood now had a muscular human figure standing there in the dust cloud.

"So…I've finally caught up to you." The human figure said. His voice was deep and firm, as the image of his body seemed to display a scary image.

Fortunately, Ben wasn't in doubt of himself. He had faced bigger and scarier foes to feel undermined by their appearance. However, he did have a feeling that the person who now stood before him was someone of great power, physically and with authority. Hence, he raised his Omnitrix arm to his chest level, with his other hand over the alien device just in case.

Unknown to the teen hero, though, his movement was taken into account by the mysterious figure. But it didn't matter anyway, because the dust cloud finally cleared away. Now the person was revealed for Ben and Seryu to see.

"I am Grand General Budo." The man stated strongly. He had a stern killer look on his face as he stared down at the teen hero.

Seryu was surprised. She was still wounded badly, but not to the point of not staring at the Grand General himself.

"G-General Budo…?" Seryu said.

Ben furrowed his eyes at the general. He had heard that name before and had some knowledge of the authority he held in the Capital. Thus, the teen knew he had to be extra careful even if the general hadn't started a fight yet. As for said general, he glanced at Seryu, before turning his attention back at Ben.

"So the report was correct. A battle with a Teigu armed Imperial officer did commence." The General said. "Tell me, why do you fight? I have been chasing after you for a month now and I have been observant of your actions. You are clearly no assassin or a man of greed."

"Hmph…nice to see someone noticed at least" Ben huffed. He still retained a serious look as he glared at the general. "The reason I fight…is because I want to help people. I've been through the Capital and outside of it and I have seen the way the people have suffered under the emperor and the Prime Minister. So I'm going to stop them and bring peace to this place."

"Is that so?" General Budo questioned. "Your resolve is strong; I can tell just from standing here. Perhaps, it was inevitable a young man like yourself would make your presence here. But make no mistake. The Emperor should not be blamed for the empire's poor circumstances. The Prime Minister is the cause of everything wrong."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ben asked. He found it odd that the enemy was being so open about the empire.

The same wasn't with Seryu, though. She was confused and surprised by the things the general himself said., especially as it then made her to think.

' _What is the general saying…? Is he a deserter himself…?'_ Seryu questioned. _'No…it can't be. He's the great general of the Capital…So what does he mean by that…? The Prime Minister is the cause of everything wrong…?'_

Seryu wanted answers. However, there was no strength in her to enforce such. As such, she continued to lie there and watched the general reply to Ben's question.

"I will carry out the order of the emperor, though." General Budo said. "But I have a proposition. Surrender now and comply with the empire. In exchange I will ensure you are given a fair trial."

"Yeah…That's not happening." Ben stated confidently. "Besides, I counted on kicking your butt one day. I guess that time is tonight."

"I see. Then you have chosen your fate." General Budo concluded.

From there, the general then removed his red cape. He threw it aside with one move of his hand before tightening his fists, ready to combat the hero. This in turn led to his gauntlets to charge up blue lightning.

"I will end this as swift as possible." General Budo stated. "With my twin gauntlets, Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech, the will of the emperor will be carried out without fail. Prepare to meet your end, boy."

Ben said nothing back. He could see that the general was charging up his lightning power for a swift kill. So in order to avoid that fate, the teen hero activated the Omnitrix by selecting through the alien playlist. He then found the alien he wanted, before letting the faceplate slide back and him raising his hand up, ready to slam down on the Omnitrix's core.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"IEYASU!"

Mine sat up from bed in panic. However, there was no sight of the one she just screamed about. As such, she became confused and looked around her, only to then become more confuse.

"Where…Where am I…?" Mine muttered. She had noticed at that moment that she was in a bedroom that clearly wasn't hers. However, before she could say anything, the room door was opened, followed by a person entering.

"Oh, you're awake." said the person. She had a female voice.

Mine immediately turned to the source of the voice. She found it somewhat recognizable, but not to the point to feel at ease. As such, she offensively stared at the one who stood at the door, revealing to be Aria.

"You!" Mine yelled. "Where am I?! Where's Sheele?! I swear you better not have…Ow!"

Mine yelped and clutched her other arm. The pain hadn't come from Aria, but rather from her own body. Hence, it was then at that moment that she realized that her broken arm was in a cast.

Aria chose that moment to step forward.

"You should take it easy." She said with concern. "Right now, you're in Satou's home, in my bedroom. Your friend is fine. She's in Satou's room."

"Take me there." Mine demanded.

Aria became hesitant in response. She could see from her close position that the pink haired girl was glaring at her with a fierce look. But that wasn't the reason she became quiet, rather it was due to the condition the assassin was in. But after a few extra seconds of silence, the blonde gave in and escorted the girl to the room Sheele was in.

"There she is." Aria said.

Now it was Mine's turn to be silent. Sheele was indeed on a bed, but she was still unconscious. Also, unlike the pink assassin, she was dressed in a white cloth as she seemed to be breathing peacefully.

But again, the female assassin said nothing. She just walked closer to her friend like she was inspecting her condition while Aria stood by the door. Hence, the only thing that dominated the room was silence until Aria broke it.

"You don't need to worry. She's okay…at least that's what Satou said." Aria said.

"Satou?" Mine questioned. She didn't turn to Aria, though, because her focus was still at Sheele. She also didn't know who Aria was referring to, nor could she ever recall such a name.

"He's the man with Ben when we spotted you and your friend." Aria answered. "Anyway, he was able to do the best he could. Now you two should rest. He said Sheele's life isn't at risk anymore."

Mine felt some relief. It didn't matter that she was unfamiliar with Satou or the fact that there might be other details she might not know. She just figured that as long as her friend was safe then that's all that mattered. However, a thought then came to her that widened her eyes and turn to Aria.

"Wait! Where's Tennyson?!" She asked. "He was there with you and the man, right? Where is he?"

"Ben hasn't come back yet." Aria answered. "It has almost been an hour and we haven't heard from him. But considering he went ahead to deal with what was going on, I believe he should be fine."

Mine became silent. She didn't mean it in a rude way or in any form of negativity. As such, her mind recalled the battle with Seryu and all that transpired, before a frown appeared on her face.

Of course, her expression change didn't go unnoticed. Aria was aware to a small degree of the incident that happened to Sheele and Mine. She also knew that the two of them were attacked by someone stronger than them and she was aware that it had to do with Ieyasu. Thus, out of curiosity, she spoke again.

"Was…Ieyasu there?" Aria asked.

Mine said nothing back. If anything, she just turned her head from the girl and walked right out the door.

"I'm sorry!" Aria apologized. She had seen the negative affect her question had caused, even to the point of following the assassin. "I was just a bit curious and –"

"Just shut up!" Mine yelled angrily. She stopped walking away, but refused to turn back to the blonde girl. "You have some guts to ask about him! Don't think I don't know what you did to him before he joined Night Raid! So don't speak so easily about him!"

"Oh…" Aria said back. She immediately felt guilt, as well as uneasiness.

However, the blonde girl's emotion was not taken into account by Mine. Instead, the assassin of Night Raid continued, with this time showing some saddening emotion.

"That newbie…" She said with a sad tone. "When he first joined Night Raid with Tatsumi, I thought they wouldn't last long…Of course, I didn't care so much about them back then. But who would've thought one of them would sacrifice his life for us, right?"

"You can't be so sure of that he's dead." Aria said hesitantly. "Ben went to help him when we met you. He'll be fine."

"I wish…" Mine muttered sadly. She indeed wanted to believe the teen assassin made it out of the battle alive. However, being an experienced assassin, she knew the unlikelihood. As such, she felt a tough tightness in her chest as tears slowly ran down her cheek. "He's gone…He's really gone." She said.

"That's not true!" Aria yelled. "Have faith! Ben would definitely -"

"Can you just shut up about Ben!?" Mine yelled angrily. She was trying so badly to contain herself, but it wasn't working. Hence, she turned at the blonde with tearful and angry eyes. "Ieyasu's gone and there's nothing your friend can do about it! But of course you wouldn't know that! A battle between people with Teigu always results in death! So just shut up and die somewhere!"

Aria was seriously taken aback. She had never seen such power of emotion just from one person in her life before, except from Ben. Sadly, there was nothing she could do to change it. Mine was right, whether she wanted to believe it or not. After all, before meeting Sheele and the girl, she and Ben had discussed about the Omnitrix being out of power.

' _Why am I such an idiot?!'_ Aria guiltily thought. _'I shouldn't have pushed on with that since I know Ben was out of power back then.'_

"Hmph!" Mine huffed. She quickly wiped the tears at her eyes and cheeks, not wanting them to be distracted. Then she turned her back at the blonde again and said. "Anyway, where's that Satou guy, I want to –"

Mine suddenly came to a stop. She sensed then that at the very living room there were in, there was movement outside the house. Hence, she acted quickly by running to where pumpkin was (in the living room), before then lifting the weapon by one hand. It wasn't an easy task, though, but the girl felt she had to do.

Of course, her sudden action caught Aria's attention. Before, Aria had been sulking in her own guilt until that moment Mine had grabbed her Teigu. As a result, she was confused and scared.

"What are you doing –"

"Shut up!" Mine scolded. "Some people are heading this way! If any of them are from the Imperial Capital, I'll kill them all!"

Aria was now even more scared. She didn't know what to make of the situation or how she should respond. However, none of that mattered. She just had to be quiet like the assassin had said and hope the outcome would be bloodless.

But then again, that may be wishful thinking. Aria and Mine were completely silent as they stared at the door. They could hear footsteps coming, with each second feeling intense as Mine readied her Pumpkin to fire at the alleged intruders.

Therefore, the silence continued. Mine eyed the door while Aria stayed back. The both of them then watched as the doorknob was twisted open, with Mine's finger on the Teigu's trigger. However, she didn't fire. She could've, but she didn't when she saw the door open and Tatsumi standing there with Leone and Akame behind him.

"Ta-Tatsumi?" Mine was surprised.

"Mine!" Tatsumi smiled.

Mine tearfully smiled back. She didn't know why, but seeing the brown haired teen made her feel happy. But then a thought came across her mind as she watched everyone walk in.

"Hold on. How did you guys get here?" She asked.

"It was thanks to him." Leone answered and pointed

Mine was confused. She wasn't certain on who the blonde assassin was mentioning, until she saw who it was. It turned out then that it was Satou, who was next to Najenda as they too walked inside.

"Boss, you're here too?" Mine questioned, surprised.

"Yes." Najenda calmly answered. "However, all you should know is that the man you know as Satou means you no harm. Where's Sheele?"

"She's back in that room." Mine turned and pointed.

"Leone." Najenda called.

"On it, boss." Leone nodded.

The female assassin knew what to do. Hence, she went over to the door that led to the room Sheele was in and looked into the place. Then she turned from the place and looked back at Najenda.

"She's there. She's safe." Leone said.

Tatsumi sighed in relief. For some time, he had been feeling concerned and worried about the fate of Mine and Sheele ever since hearing about their situation. But now that Sheele was safe, he felt at ease.

"That's good." Tatsumi said. Then he turned to Mine. "So where's Ieyasu? He was with you guys, right?"

Mine was taken aback by the question. She was then quiet as she stood there, staring at the teen until finally saying something.

"I…I don't know." Mine said, lying. "We were ambushed by an Imperial Arms user and barely got away. But Ben headed there, so he should be fine."

"That's good to hear." Tatsumi said and smiled a bit.

Unknown to the teen, however, everyone else could tell Mine was lying. Leone exchanged a look at Akame, who returned that look and then sent it directly at Mine, who just put up a fake smile. Najenda, on the other hand, sighed and placed her normal hand on her hip.

"So…Tennyson hasn't returned yet?" Najenda asked.

"Yes." Aria answered.

Leone didn't like the sound of that. She could only be silent about an issue for so long before getting into action. As such, she began heading to the door.

"Akame, let's go." Leone said. "I have a bad feeling that the kid could be in trouble."

Akame nodded and was about to follow. However, Najenda turned to the blonde assassin with a stern look. Hence, before Leone knew it, the woman shot out her mechanical hand at the blonde and brought her back into the house, on the floor.

"You and Akame aren't going anyway." Najenda stated firmly. "Right now our concern is Sheele and Mine, which is why we came here, and left Bulat and Lubbock to watch over the hideout. Besides, Ben Tennyson will have to show is worth with every trial that comes his way if he is meant to defeat Esdeath one day."

Leone said nothing back. She did shoot a small glare at Najenda, which was very uncommon of her. But she didn't object, because she knew the boss was right, whether she liked it or not.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Unknown to Najenda and Night Raid, though, there was much more going on. A lone Danger Beast was flapping its wings above the Capital, as those on top of it were watching a stare off between Ben and General Budo, and from the looks of it the two were about to engage in battle.

"This is interesting. To think I would return home, just in time for a show."

General Esdeath smirked. She was the one who had spoken the words, while being in the company of a person in a black cloak. Of course, she knew who the person was as she continued to watch in delight at the fight that would soon happen.

"Welcome home." She said.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **Wow! Esdeath has finally returned to the Capital, but who is the cloaked person with her?! Read the next chapter to find out.**

 **Originally, this chapter was supposed to contain the fight between Ben and General Budo. But I thought through the whole thing when I was typing that fight scene and realized that it would be adding too much in one chapter. So I decided to split the chapter and add the scene involving Mine and Aria and Esdeath instead.**

 **Also, it feels nice to write about Aria again. I remember I wrote this fanfiction based on another crossover fanfiction that had Aria in a good light. However, it'll take some time before Aria is given a big role like she did in the early chapters.**

 **Anyway, there are some reviews I wish to reply to. Just please keep in mind that if yours wasn't replied to, it does not mean that I don't acknowledge you. I love all the reviews I get, including the critical ones (as long as they aren't harsh). So please if you feel like the story is going into a direction you feel isn't right, then please let me know. But if you think it's fine, then please let me know. I love knowing what you guys think.**

 **(REVIEWS REPLIES)**

 **Strong-bot: I'm glad you enjoyed the way I handled the chapter and the fanfic in general. As for my least favorite alien, it would have to be Bloxx. That alien just screams "MERCHANDISING !" and is basically a LEGO.**

 **Gaspachu: How am I dragging the story? Please tell me.**

 **(REVIEW REPLIES END)**

 **With that out of the way, I'll be getting the next chapter ready. Please be sure to follow, favorite and review to show your support. I would really appreciate it.**

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	23. Vs match, The son appears and Gone?

Hello, dear readers! I hope you all are having an awesome day! I present to you another awesome chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

I'm so sorry for the late update. I know a lot of you have been anticipating to read this chapter. It's the very one that would have Ben 10 fighting the great Grand General of the Capital, General Budo. So without delay, enjoy this chapter!

 **Chapter 23: Vs. match, The son appears and…Gone?**

Time seemed to be at ease as both combatants stood, glaring at each other. Ben Tennyson had faced a lot of enemies in his past, but never had he come across someone as resolute as General Budo. This was the same for the general himself as he was quiet and ready to take on the teenage boy. It was only a few seconds and yet things were feeling this intense.

Ben Tennyson didn't mind it though. General Budo looked like a guy that would attack a second later, so the teen hero acted. That is why, the moment he activated the Omnitrix, he slammed his hand on the core and was engulfed by the flash of light. From there, the light died down and revealed him to be a twelve foot tall humanoid dinosaur with brown skin, a long tail, green eyes and wearing black briefs and a green sash across his chest with the Omnitrix symbol on the middle.

" **I hope you're ready for a pounding, because here comes HUMONGOSAUR!"** He shouted.

From there, the hero charged at General Budo. But of course, this didn't mean the general stood still. He too charged at Ben with a loud cry and his fists tightened before closing in on the superhero here.

Not long after, a series of punches were exchanged. There weren't at anybody else, but at the two combatants, who surprisingly didn't hit any vital part of the opponent's body. Instead, their fists would continuously hit the other person's fists with both of them seemingly withstanding the force of it constantly.

However, this tactic didn't last for long. The reason became clear, because with each blow, they were actually increasing their strength. So when they again sent their fists at one another again, they let out a louder cry and made their fist to clash against the other, sending a massive shockwave.

This shockwave was almost unlike any other that had been witnessed that night. It was able to surpass what Whampire had done minutes ago and was strong enough to cause buildings to crack. In fact, it was so strong that even a person like Seryu was sent flying into the air.

"Their power…Is this much…?" Seryu wondered weakly. She had no control of her body, nor could she stop any collision she could make. As such, she accepted her fate and closed her eyes. _'This must be it…? There is no way I can…huh?!'_

Something had caught Seryu. Surprisingly, it wasn't by the pain she thought she would receive, rather it was the familiar big hands of a certain someone. So imagine her then surprise when she opened her eyes and saw Koro's face in her view. She was happy.

"Koro! You're okay!" She smiled.

Koro nodded in response. He was indeed alright, but not in his berserker form like before. But he was still huge and still able to carry his mistress in his hands. Hence, it was with this form that he was able to jump away from the fight, especially as it came intense.

General Budo had been waiting for the right moment, and now that his fist was still against Humongosaur, he decided to use it. He did it by sending the iron pole on the top of his gauntlet to strike against the alien hero's fist, before then sending a huge charge of lightning at him. Of course, this surprised Humongosaur, before the power of the general's lightning sent him flying back.

Fortunately, Humongosaur was able to land on his feet. He may have been careless before, but he felt better now. As such, he ran straight for General Budo again, before then throwing a swing punch at the man. However, to his surprise again, the general swiftly dodged that attack and dodged another of his punch when he tried to hit him again.

Humongosaur was then suddenly hit. It came as a shock to him, as it was then revealed than the general had punched him at the stomach. But if that wasn't enough, the general then powered his right gauntlet and gave the alien hero an upper cut. As a result, Humongosaur was sent flying feet into the air, before hitting the ground hard, causing it to shake violently.

The battle didn't end there though. Instead, it continued, with General Budo jumping into the air and then landing down on the alien hero's chest. Of course, this caused the ground to shake again, but this time to break apart more due to the force of the general. But then the battle became intense when the general began punching lightning blasts at the hero's face.

"Weak! You stand no chance against me!" General Budo yelled furiously. "You dare talk against the empire and yet have no skill?! Pathetic!"

Humongosaur got angry. He had heard the general well and felt that his words and punches were enough. So, immediately, he punched the man off him and got back on his feet.

" **You're one to talk!"** Humongosaur yelled angrily. **"You follow orders from a kid that's being manipulated and yet do nothing! At least I've been making a change! What about you?! What's your game in all of this?! The Prime Minister is the real problem and yet you fight me! Are you afraid to face him!?"**

"That's enough!" General Budo yelled. He was clearly furious from Humongosaur's remark and wanted to shut him up. That was why he then shot a huge lightning blast at him.

However, the attack never hit the alien hero. This was because the hero jumped into the air and lifted both his arms up, ready to come down on the general.

" **No, I won't!"** Humongosaur shouted.

General Budo immediately jumped back. He was then able to put some distance between him and Humongosaur when he landed. As such, he watched as the alien hero landed on the ground with his fists hitting the ground and sending a trail of rocks straight for him. The general was still able to jump out of the way though.

" **Besides…"** Humongosaur then said. He seemed to have calmed down as he glared at the man determinedly. **"I know people are counting on me. Can you say the same about you, general? People are dying and yet you stand by defending an empire that's only encouraging evil! Since you can't do anything about it, then I will! That is my resolve and I swear I won't stop until the innocent are able to sleep peacefully in a world where there is no war or fear!"**

And with that, the hero then sent his fists down on the ground again. His attack then immediately sent a shockwave that headed straight for General Budo. However, the general didn't seem deterred or fazed by the attack as he then charged up his left gauntlet.

"Then I guess that resolve must die with you!" He said sternly.

With that said, the general immediately struck his fist against the ground. Of course, this caused a huge amount of lightning to shoot out of his gauntlet, but with devastating result. So, by the time Humongosaur knew it, it was too late. General Budo's single attack tore through the ground furiously with so much power that it not only hit the alien hero, but sent him flying backwards into the air.

The Omnitrix suddenly changed Humongosaur back to Ben.

"What the…?" Ben was surprised. He then immediately realized he was upside down in the air. "Well…so much for Humongosaur. But this fight isn't over yet. Turn to turn up the heat!"

The Omnitrix immediately exposed its core. It was like it had heard Ben and decided the alien it wanted for him. As a result, the moment Ben slammed his hand on the core he was engulfed by a green flash of light before landing on the ground on his feet. From there, the light died down and revealed him to be…

" **HEATBLAST!"**

As the name indicated, Ben was a being of fire. He wasn't as big as Humongosaur, but he was taller and muscular than his normal self. Also, he was composed of molten rocks and fire, with the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.

Just then, General Budo showed up. He was clearly not done with the hero, as was revealed then when he landed on the ground some feet from the teen hero. Fortunately, Heatblast didn't seem deterred by this. In fact, he tightened his fists and lifted them at Budo without a second.

"So…you have changed again." General Budo said sternly.

" **Nice observation captain obvious! Now eat fire!"** Heatblast shouted.

From then on, the alien hero let out his flames. He did this by shooting a stream of fire from his fists straight at Budo, who just stood there. But then the general lifted his arms forward and shot lightning straight at the flames without a single hesitation.

Things from then on began to intensify. The power of lightning and fire clashed with one another and exploded in a burst of force that tore apart the middle ground between the two combatants. But if that wasn't enough, the sheer force of it caused nearby buildings to shake, with windows breaking apart and things such as carts were sent flying. Good thing there was no normal people around.

So it went without saying that Esdeath was impressed. For some time now, the ice queen general had been watching the fight with no thought of intervening. And why should she? The view she had from above gave her a spectacular sight as she enjoyed the display of power between her rival general and the hero who had once kept her captive in a barrier a month ago.

"Amazing…" She said. The sly smile on her face never seemed to cease, especially as she watched the dust cloud now in the midst of the combatants. "It's just as you said. He is a young man with extraordinary power. But will he be able to beat Budo himself? I wonder…"

The mysterious cloak person was silent. The person knew the woman was speaking to them, but at the same time found no reason to respond.

Back at the fight, the dust cloud was clearing up. It wasn't as thick as one would believe; it didn't stick around for long. Hence, it was in that moment that Heatblast jettison himself into the air, before directing his hands at the general's way quickly. Then, without a word, he unleashed a big burst of fire down on the man.

General Budo wasn't taken aback by this though. He saw the attacks coming, and so lifted his wrists up in full display of his twin gauntlets. Then, with the metal poles on the devices mashing each other, he was able to create an electronic based shield above him, just in time to take in the blast.

Thus, it happened that the general took in the attack. It wasn't easy though, because he could feel the heaviness and heat from Heatblast's flames with strong amounts. But in the end he was able to stay standing, even when Heatblast suddenly stopped and the general put down his shield.

However, it was all a ruse. General Budo sensed this when he saw Heatblast coming right down on him. As such, he quickly jumped back and allowed his feet to skid back for him to stop. Thus, when that was done, he saw that Heatblast had landed on the ground, with said ground now turned into molten rock.

" **Now then…time to heat things up a bit!"** Heatblast said.

The atmosphere in air could only be affected worse now. Heatblast seemed to follow through with his words as he then began to power up his flames. As for general Budo, he would've attacked, but the alien hero didn't give him a chance. He already had his hands stretched at his direction, when suddenly he fired his flames.

Now it was General Budo's turn to react. He could see the flames, as well as the fact that it was wider and longer than the previous fire attack that the alien hero had shot. Fortunately, he knew what to do, even as he then brought his fists at his chest level and making the poles on his gauntlets to hit one another. Soon enough, an energy based shield was created before him and took the attack.

But once again, the general found Heatblast's power to be straining. He had to keep himself standing despite the heat from the alien's hero's power and despite how much the teen was hitting at him. But then, if that wasn't enough, the ground that General Budo wasn't standing on, as well as his close surrounding, was scorched by the hero's flames while houses not in the general's pathway were destroyed in flames.

Fortunately, the attacks didn't last for long. General Budo was able to endure it all till the end, when Heatblast stopped. However, his guard was still up when Heatblast flew straight at him and punched his fiery fist against his shield.

The attack didn't do anything to the general though. Budo may have underestimated Ben before, but he was no fool to the display of power just recent. But that didn't mean the teen hero stopped. No, he continued punching on the shield with fiery punches until then pausing for a moment and powering up his right fist.

So the next thing General Budo knew, he was sent skidding back. This was because Heatblast's powered fist hit his shield with such force that it sent him back. It didn't destroy the shield though, but it did cause the man to be pushed back and then willingly dropping his shield.

That didn't mean he was feeling overwhelmed though. Rather, from the look in his eyes, the general was feeling the adrenaline rush known to most fighters, even before attacking. He swiftly moved his arms forward and shooting a wave of lightning straight at Heatblast.

Now at this point, one would expect that Heatblast was a goner. He was in the direction of Budo's attack, which had the potential to cause so much destruction. But surprisingly the alien hero didn't move. Instead he stood there with a confident look, even as the blast finally reached him.

General Budo was shocked at what then happened. He would've expected for Heatblast to take some damage, but surprisingly that wasn't the case. Heatblast was still standing, but this time his body's flames were more intense than before that in such a way that his attack wasn't touching him. In fact, just the alien hero standing there seem to nullifying his lightning attack when it met with his flames.

"What the…How?" General Budo said, shocked.

" **Through the power of science dumbass."** Heatblast answered. **"I've been pretty good with Heatblast for a very long time now. So, basically what I just did was create an air lens to supercharge the air around me to dry out all the static in the air. That is why your little bolts aren't gonna do you any good against me. So did you get all that or do I have to speak using smaller words for u to even comprehend what I'm saying?"** he said the last part tauntingly

General Budo scowled. It was one thing to explain his attack and another thing entirely to be cocky about it. But there was little he could say about it, especially with what Heatblast then said.

" **NOW'S IT'S MY TURN!"**

The alien hero immediately made his move. He began to increase and intensify the heat of his body, even more than usual. He also didn't seem to hold back at this moment, as anything in his surroundings, close or far, where scorched by his flames. Basically, he was preparing to do a move he hadn't done since he was ten years old. At that time, he had been turned into a four year old by the Fortune of Youth.

So from his view, General Budo had little time to react. He wasn't afraid surprisingly, nor did he show a small indication of that. Instead, he tightened his fists and lifted his arms to his chest level, where he then had his twin gauntlets almost close to each other.

"Don't underestimate me, boy!" He yelled.

The general immediately reacted. The flames from Heatblast were drawing close, thus General Budo counteracted. By that, he knocked both his gauntlets together, which in turn caused a burst of numerous lightning to clash with the flames and caused a huge explosion. As a result, a loud boom was ahead from afar, followed by buildings blowing up into pieces and the very ground breaking apart and disintegrating. When it was all over, a huge dust cloud was in the area with no sign of the combatants close by.

General Budo coughed a bit. The air around him was thick as it gave him little sight of his surroundings. He could tell that his counteract and Heatblast's flames had caused a lot of damages, but he could care less of that. Instead, he had his eyes focusing on his surroundings in search of Heatblast.

' _Where is he…?'_ General Budo wondered. _'I wish him to be dead…However, this battle has proven he is formidable foe. Could it be that I beat him?'_

General Budo then spotted something. He noticed a body of fire behind him and quickly realized who it was.

"Apparently, not!" He shouted.

The general then quickly reacted. He turned back with a swing of his arm, wanting to backhand the alien hero with his electronic charged gauntlet. However, he missed when the alien hero dodged, before then receiving a strong punch at the stomach which instantly knocked the air out of him.

So before the general knew it, Heatblast attacked again. This time, with his alien fist still against his stomach, he let out a burst of fire from it that immediately sent the man flying out of the dust cloud. But if that wasn't enough, the general crashed through some rundown buildings and came to a stop when he hit the bottom of a small clock tower which ended up collapsing on top of him.

Heatblast was pleased. He flew out of the dust cloud and landed some feet from General Budo's crash site with a smirk on his face.

" **Ha! So much for no skills huh?!"** Heatblast mocked.

Just then, the Omnitrix began to time out. This caught the alien hero by surprise, especially when he looked at the symbol. But there was nothing he could do. The Omnitrix timed out and changed him back to normal in a flash of light, with that also restoring to him his former black and green shirt.

"Seriously, Omnitrix?! A timeout?!" Ben complained. He was, of course, glaring at the alien device on his wrist until he put his arm down and turned to face the tower where General Budo had crashed in. "Well…at least I took him down."

And so the fight ended like that –NOT!

Ben soon regretted that. He was still standing there, when suddenly the crash site of General Budo was exploded by a fury of lightning. Things then became worse when black clouds suddenly covered the skies of the Capital, with the general then levitating into the air and flying straight at him in a covered blue aura of lightning.

"Oh shit!" Ben exclaimed in shock.

By now, there was little time for the hero to react. Fortunately, the Omnitrix shined with its usual green light again and slide back its faceplate to reveal its core. As such, Ben quickly slammed his hand on the core and became engulfed by a flash of light.

Unfortunately, General Budo was still fast. He closed the gap between him and Ben and punched him at the chest when his transformation had been completed. As a result, Ben was sent flying backwards in the air as **Cannonbolt**.

A part of this was good, fortunately. As Cannonbolt, the alien hero could withstand the general's punch. However, that didn't stop him from being flown backwards uncontrollably and going through different buildings until finally stopping when he crashed into a rundown house.

" **Yeah…that's going to hurt in the morning."** Cannonbolt groaned. He then got back on his feet and looked to the sky. **"Damn…if I had stayed human, I would've died. Good thing I got Cannonbolt."**

Just then, the alien hero noticed something. It was sudden, but he could tell what it was. So, upon his eyes widened, he quickly ran out of the house and rolled away in his ball form, just in time. The house he had once been in was destroyed in an instant by a strike of lightning.

However, the attacks didn't stop there. In fact, if anything, they became more ferocious and rapid as they clearly aimed for Cannonbolt. Fortunately, the alien hero was fast and able to move out of the way, either by rolling through the streets or ramming through buildings to evade the lightning attacks. But then, before he could react, General Budo burst out of a rundown house in front of him and delivered a downward punch on his body, causing a devastating aftermath.

Cannonbolt didn't stand a chance. His body was able to withstand a lot of things, but the fact that Budo's attack was precise at one area of his body was enough to beat him. So it was there that the hero was halted with the ground blown apart and shots of lightning hitting nearby buildings, destroying them instantly.

A scene soon became clear when the dust cloud settled. However, the sight wasn't good. Ben lay on his back as his normal self while General Budo had his leg on top of the hero. But if that wasn't enough, the both of them were in a big hole which was caused by the general's blow.

"You were a formidable foe…" General Budo admitted. However, he then pointed his right gauntlet down at Ben. "….but this is the outcome of the battle." General Budo said. "Goodbye…boy."

"Yeah…I don't think so." Ben said and groaned.

General Budo immediately shot an electric blast for Ben's face. However, Ben was surprisingly able to react. He did it by allowing the Omnitrix's faceplate to slide back, before then slamming the core against the ground. Hence, in a flash of light, Ben was transformed into **Diamondhead** , which he then used to block Budo's attack with an open hand.

In response, General Budo was surprised. He was so certain that he had the teen hero cornered. But then, Diamondhead counteracted by firing diamond shards from his palm and towards the general's face.

" **Surprise!"** Diamondhead yelled.

Now it was the general's turn to react. He quickly used his other arm to shield his face of the attacks. However, due to Diamondhead continuously shooting more, he stepped back and unintentionally gave the alien hero enough room to stand back up.

Hence, the shots kept on coming. Diamondhead didn't show any sign of stopping his attack, especially as he brought his other open hand at General Budo's way and began firing similar small diamond shards the general. It was infuriating to the Grand General though, as he had to keep shielding his face with his arms while moving back.

However, the continuous firing couldn't last for long. General Budo was getting annoyed by the attacks, so he quickly counterattacked. By that, he immediately hit both his gauntlets together at Diamondhead's direction, causing a burst of blue energy waves that did some damage. Of course, this hit Diamondhead and destroyed any remaining pieces of anything nearby, sending the alien hero flying back.

It was a good thing that Diamondhead was durable. He was able to land on his feet, though it then skidded back before he came to an actual stop. However, the fact he survived the attack didn't seem to matter much. He could already see the darkness of the clouds thickens with charges of lightning running through them and heading to a specific direction, General Budo.

The general may still be on the ground, but he still had great command of lightning. It was obvious by the energy-based conduits that connected his gauntlets to the dark clouds as it seemed he was preparing for another attack.

So the next thing that happened was what one could to expect. General Budo directed his arms at Diamondhead's direction, which he then fired at. Of course, the blast he released was no mere blast. It was a large one that covered a large area in length and width while leaving devastating result. Even the ground that it came in contact with stood no chance.

Diamondhead had to react. He raised his hands up and created a huge pillar of diamond to rise from the ground in front of him. However, General Budo's attack was powerful, and so the pillar stood no chance in its path. It was destroyed instantly, with no sign of Diamondhead in its way.

Now the battle was over – at least it should've been. However, something wasn't right. General Budo saw no sign of his enemy so he powered down. But then suddenly felt something was up and looked up, just in time to see something. It was Diamondhead, heading his way, but at the moment upside down.

So before General Budo knew it, he was shot again by diamond shards from the alien hero. They came from above though, as Diamondhead was shooting from his knuckles. The general had to react to this, so he quickly shielded his face with his arms.

Unknown to the general, Diamondhead had intended that. His attack just then had given him the cover to go over him and land behind him. General Budo did notice this immediately, but it was too late when he turned to face the alien hero. Diamondhead moved his arms to different directions and caused huge diamond shards to come out of the ground and restrain the general.

Now, by this moment, Diamondhead clearly had the advantage. However, there was still the fire in the general that was alive. As such, the general let out a furious cry and destroyed the diamond around him by random blasts of lightning. From there, with another cry, he punched into the ground and released a huge wave of lightning towards the alien hero.

Fortunately, Diamondhead was very reactive. He punched the ground with a fist and caused three huge diamond spikes to rise from the ground in front of him. Unfortunately, they didn't last because the general's attack made impact and destroyed them, thus creating a dust cloud.

That didn't mean the general was at ease though. He was still feeling the heat of the battle despite his counterattack. So this then led to him running into the dust cloud and then coming out of it, clearly to attack Diamondhead. But then, to his shock, when he looked up, he saw six diamond shaped boulders levitating in the air and surrounding him in a circle formation.

General Bud snarled angrily. "Don't you dare…" He said. He then charged up his gauntlets and continued. "…underestimate…" From there, he lifted his arms up and shot every diamond shaped boulder almost instantly. "THE EMPIRE!"

" **No duh!"**

General Budo was suddenly attacked. He had heard that voice and turned to it. However, he only got to see Diamondhead jump forward from the dust behind him and hit him with a strong knee jab at the side. As a result, the general was sent flying through the air for a few seconds before rolling roughly against the ground and finally crashing into some big rubble, becoming silent afterwards.

Now at this point, one would think the general was down. His presence was quiet, with no indication of movement from his direction. But Diamondhead didn't seem at ease with this though, especially as he stood there, glaring at the direction he had sent the general crashing.

And so, something did happened. A beam of lightning shot out from the general's crash site and headed straight from the sky. Diamondhead was a bit taken aback by this, of course, but he maintained his stance and watched the clouds and watched what happened.

Hence, it was his position he noticed something. There was the eye of a now apparent storm, which was a circle of blue energy in the clouds. But if that wasn't enough, General Budo levitated close by with the energy-based conduits on his gauntlets, connecting him to the eye of the storm.

"I underestimated you!" General Budo yelled sternly. "You have proven in my eyes to be a strong warrior in my eye! Now you have two options just like before! Surrender or let the place you stand become your burial ground!"

" **I'm not going to surrender!"** Diamondhead shouted confidently. **"I've been through a lot already to stop now! So come at me with everything you got! I'm not scared of you!"**

"Very well…" General Budo replied. "Tell me your name, so I may know the name of the young man who fought bravely against me."

" **Hmph!"** Diamondhead smirked. **"Call me…Diamondhead. That's what I am right now."**

"Fine…Diamondhead. Die!"

General Budo then did what he intended. He moved his arms to Diamondhead's direction and tightened his fists. Then, from there, he unleashed a huge beam of lightning-composed energy that headed straight for the alien hero.

Diamondhead quickly reacted. He squatted and punched his fists into the ground at both sides and caused two huge diamond spikes to rise and cover him. He then did that again, but this time covering any other opening to his shield. Hence, he was now covered in a dome of diamond and prepared for the worse.

' _This young man…'_ General Budo thought. He was watching his attack approaching the ground as he continued. _'Despite being in the face of death, he still believed what he's doing is right…Normally, this would sound outlandish, but I can't help but agree with him a little…Who knows, if he didn't want to rid the empire so much, I may have considered him a potential ally against Honest…But it doesn't matter. Whether it is him, Esdeath or Honest, I will rid the empire of those who threaten the stability of the empire, one way or the other. That is my resolve, for the empire and for the young emperor himself. Goodbye, Diamondhead.'_

With that, General Budo watched the devastation. He watched as his beam hit the ground, while still pouring more of it. However, his eyes suddenly widened in shock when he noticed the beam was becoming smaller and concentrated to just Diamondhead's place alone.

' _What the…This is not my doing!'_ General Budo thought in realization.

Something wasn't right, and the general knew it. But he said nothing about as he then ceased his attack. Now his eyes were focused on the dust cloud in the ground, waiting to see if something would happen.

He didn't have to wait long though. General Budo was still levitating in place, when he then noticed a flash of blue light from the dust cloud. So, while it may at first seem nothing, the general's instincts kicked in and made him to move out of the way. As a result, he was able to avoid a huge blue beam similar to what he had shot recently.

' _Is that…my attack…?'_ General Budo wondered in mild shock.

This experience was certainly something to remember. However, the general was suddenly taken aback when the beam moved towards him despite his distance. So, despite moving a bit further, he was hit by the side and sent crashing the ground, screaming.

Fortunately for him, the impact wasn't so bad. General Budo was a formidable fighter, so he was able to get back to his feet despite the pain. But still, none of that could hide the bents on his armor and the cuts on his skin and scattered blonde hair as he stood still.

At first, General Budo thought Diamondhead was the cause. After all, the beam that had hit him was from the exact place the alien hero was in. But then, as he stood and watched the dissipating dust cloud from the alien hero's area, he noticed something walking out. It wasn't Diamondhead.

Diamondhead didn't have a black and green color scheme. Maybe he did in his clothing, but he certainly didn't have a Cyclops green eye, two long black antennas and a tail with a yellow plug at each end or fingers with the same plugs at each fingertip. So it was safe to say that this alien wasn't Diamondhead, but Ben Tennyson's Conductoid alien known as **Feedback**.

General Budo was immediately angry. He knew who the alien before him was, because he could see the familiar green and black hourglass symbol on his chest.

"What are you!?" General Budo yelled angrily. "Time and time again you elude my attacks! Just what are you!?"

" **Me? I'm just a guy who's a hero doing his thing."** Feedback said confidently. **"I'm** **also someone who's willing to do the right thing. That is why I won't lose this fight, especially to someone like you! So do yourself a favor and just give up!"**

General Budo didn't like that. In fact, if anything, he hated it so much that he growled with a low tone and took a step forward at Feedback.

' _This infuriating young man...!'_ General Budo angrily. He clearly had enough of the alien hero. So in response, he levitated in his personal field of lightning, before flying straight at Feedback. _'He makes me want to give this everything I got!'_

And so the general went onward. Feedback was still standing, when suddenly the general began flying around him in a speed of blinding light. Strangely, he didn't lay a single physical attack at the alien hero. Instead, he was just going around him, observing for an opening.

' _My experience from recent is very clear; I have to find a vital witness! Once that is done, only then I can end this battle!'_

General Budo's eyes then widened. He immediately spotted a side of the alien hero and became further determined. _'There it is! Now to attack!'_ He thought.

However, there was a problem. General Budo threw a punch at that side of Feedback, but he was intercepted by the alien hero, who now had the general's fist in his open hand.

" **Nice move, but I could totally drain the energy your Teigu emits!"** Feedback stated with a smirk.

"Im-Impossible!" Budo said back in shock.

General Budo was then surprised at what happened next. Feedback used that exact arm to absorb the lightning from his gauntlet like it was nothing. From there, before he could react, the alien hero redirected the absorbed energy into his free hand and shot it at the general's stomach, immediately sending him flying backwards.

So it went without saying that the attack was very effective. However, General Budo was still strong despite the constant beating. As such, he let his feet touch the ground, even to the point of it digging right into the ground and skidding. But then the result of the blow also showed itself when he spat out some blood and panted a bit.

' _Such power…Am I a match for him?'_ General Budo said in shock. The idea had clicked to the general in that very moment. However, as a resolved man, he immediately shook his head in refusal. _'No! I cannot think of that! I can still –'_

" **Knock! Knock!"**

"Huh?"

General Budo was suddenly bombarded with punches at his front. He didn't know how it came, but he was certain there were fast and strong. As such, he stood no chance against Feedback's rapid punches, especially when the last one came and sent him flying away into a rundown one-floor building.

The moment then became silent. However, like other experiences, this didn't last long. General Budo suddenly shot upward from the rubble with the clouds once again charging up blue lightning as he levitated close by.

"I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" He cried out.

General Budo was at his limits when he went forward. However, it was clear the general didn't care. He was building up lightning power all around him and directing it to his own gauntlets. Thus, he continued.

"ALL MY ENERGY, MY SOUL AND BODY SHALL GO INTO THIS ONE ATTACK! NOT FOR MY SAKE, BUT FOR THE EMPIRE AND FOR THE EMPEROR!"

And so the general continued. His level of power was becoming greater than he had done in the entirety of the battle. In fact, the lightning field was so powerful that it could be seen throughout the entire Capital and those close by. Of course, this included the Emperor and the Prime Minister seeing the energy from the Imperial Capital as a huge ball of blue energy and Night Raid, Aria and Satou seeing it as the same thing as well.

However, despite how scary and horrifying it seemed, Feedback wasn't worried. He took a step back and raised his arms to his waist level, while at the same time smirking much.

 **"You're a fool! You fight for the wrong side!"** Feedback stated confidently. **"I'll admit that while you're loyalty is admirable, it also makes you a hypocrite for letting the kid be influenced badly by the Prime Minister! So go ahead and hit me with everything you got as your last gambit! I'll just stay here and take it!"**

However, unknown to Feedback, there was another presence nearby. This presence wasn't Esdeath or her shadowy figure; it was something else. But of course, Esdeath noticed it when she saw a flash of purple light behind an unaware Feedback, with a person now ready to strike him.

So in a few seconds, Feedback had little time to react. He did notice the presence, but only in an instant before it swung a short blade at his waist side. Fortunately, Feedback was able to jump back, but not without feeling a cut at his side. As such, he landed on the ground and held that injured area, before the Omnitrix timed out and changed him back to normal.

"That was fast…" Ben noted. He then looked forward at the person who struck him. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm surprised you haven't heard of me." The mysterious person said. He had a grin on his face while tossing the short blade in his hand up and down in his hand. "But I guess that is to be expected considering we haven't met before."

Ben said nothing back. He did shoot a glare at the young man though, as he could already sense a dangerous aura from him. It also didn't help that the man had an appearance that differed from most people the teen had meant. The man had tan skin, green eyes and white spiky hair, while also having an X-shaped scar on his face and a crown-like headgear on his head. As for his clothes, he wore a white skintight shirt that revealed his stomach and white pants.

"Anyway…" The man said causally. He seemed too calm for Ben's taste, especially as he then looked up to General Budo. Surprisingly, the general was still powering up, which was what got the young man's attention. Hence, he said. "Hey, lightning geezer! I'll be taking on this guy from now!"

"Hmm?" General Budo uttered. For some reason, he found the voice somewhat familiar. So, when he looked down, he immediately recognized the person facing him from below. _'What is he doing here?'_ He wondered.

General Budo didn't know much at the moment. However, upon seeing that person, he surprisingly powered down and levitated his back to the ground, where his feet made contact with. Then, with a small scowl look on his face, he glared at the young tanned man.

"The Prime Minister's son…what are you doing here?" He asked sternly.

Ben was surprised. "The Prime Minister son?" He questioned. "Wait, you're the guy's actual son?"

"Yup. Surprising huh?" Shura smirked. He was clearly amused, especially as he then then turned to Ben. "But I got to say, watching you fight was something. You're clearly no pushover. Heck, you even brought the so called great general to his limits."

General Budo snarled in response. He didn't like the amused tone the Prime Minister was using, nor did he like the fact that the young man had interrupted his battle with Ben. However, none of that concerned Shura, especially as he continued.

"But this is where it ends for you." Shura said menacingly. "I'll be taking you on from here on out."

"Nonsense!" General Budo rebuked angrily. "Get out of my way! I will be the one to deal with the young man, myself! This has nothing to do with you!"

Shura immediately frowned. "Actually…it does." Then he smirked wickedly and turned to Ben with a psychotic expression. "You! You're the reason why I'm here! Because of you I had to cut my vacation short and speed up some things! So you better be certain that I'll make this experience your last!"

"Right…" Ben replied plainly with a roll of his eyes showing his disinterest. He didn't seem a bit worried about Shura's threat, especially as he touched the Omnitrix's faceplate and began selecting through the alien playlist. "Thanks, but I've faced scarier things that you."

"I see…" Shura said. "Then I guess…"

Ben was then surprised. Shura was saying something, but he suddenly cut himself off and disappeared in a flash of purple light. Hence, the next thing Ben knew, the young man was right behind him with an evil sly smirk on his face.

"…you won't have a problem with this, will you?" He finished saying.

Ben quickly jumped to his right. He then followed that move by a cartwheel, before landing on his feet in a bent position.

"How did…" He said.

However, the teen didn't get to finish. Shura had appeared directly in front of him in to cause pain. As such, before Ben knew it, he was punched painfully at the stomach with so much force that he cried out in pain and was sent flying back.

"Ha! So much for your talk!" Shura humored. He then watched as Ben hit the ground on his back, before continuing. "But if you must know, I have a little gift in my hand."

Ben held his stomach and quickly sat up. His stomach hurt, but it didn't deter him in any way to give up. As a result, he was able to see Shura lift his hand to his direction, revealing a small hand-held device.

"This is Shambahala! It grants me instant teleportation!" Shura stated. "And don't think you can escape me! I have this entire area marked, so there is no hope for you!"

Ben didn't like the sound of that. However, that didn't mean he was fearful of the Prime Minister's son. But then, Shura decided to prove a point by stretching his arms apart to do something. Hence, Ben was able to see similar Ying and Yang symbols appear at different places, both on the ground, in mid-air and higher in the air and then disappearing. It was really shocking.

' _Damn…So he's got the air covered too. So much for Astrodactyl or Jetray.'_ Ben mentally noted. From there, the teen got back to his feet and brought his hand above the Omnitrix. _'Then I guess I'm just going to –'_

"I won't give you the chance!" General Budo shouted.

For some time now, the general had been watching. However, his position changed when he saw what Ben was about to do. So in response, the general quickly used his power to fly to Ben's back and then pick him up from the ground by the back of his shirt. Then, before Ben could react, he lifted the teen over his body and stoned him hard on the ground.

Ben was immediately paralyzed. The impact was devastating, as it even caused the ground to break apart. But if that wasn't enough, the man threw him up a bit and then punched him right in the stomach with so much force that once the pole of the general's Teigu hit his stomach, it sent a bad electric shock to his body and sent flying away.

So in that moment, the teen hero stood no chance. The shocking blow from General Budo was enough to cause him to crash into some rubble, some feet away from the battle. Fortunately, the impact wasn't so bad, though the same couldn't be said about the teen's body. The teen was in pain, especially as he felt the electric current all over his body and shook repeatedly in response to them.

' _Shit...Not good…So not good.'_ Ben thought in pain. _'I have to fight back or else…I won't be able to see my family and friends again.'_

And so the teen fought back. He bit his bottom lip and slowly sat up on the rubble. Of course, this feat wasn't easy. He could feel each part of his body hurting as he continued to move. So fortunately he succeeded and was then able to slam his hand on the Omnitrix core when the faceplate moved out of the way.

The thing that happened next was what to expect Ben was engulfed in a flash of green light as the transformation then took place. Hence, by the time the light died down, Ben felt a lot better and jumped back to his feet, revealing his current alien form.

" **KICKIN HAWK!"** He cried out.

A bird-like cry then followed before the hero jumped off the rubble. So in that moment he was in the air, his eyes met the humanoid figure of Shura. He decided then to do that moment to stomp down on the villain just to get the upper hand. But unfortunately, Shura was able to react, by then jumping back before Kickin Hawk hit the ground.

However, Kickin Hawk didn't stop there. He let out another bird-like cry and charge for Shura, who just stood in place. But then, when the alien hero swung a punch for the man's face, he disappeared in a flash of purple light and appeared behind Kickin Hawk.

" **Not this time!"** Kickin Hawk shouted.

Unlike his presence form (Feedback), Ben was more aware of his surroundings. He saw Shura coming and immediately swung his foot back at the young man. However, the Prime Minister's son reacted in time and disappeared again before Kickin Hawk could hit. He then appeared in front of Kickin Hawk, who in return swung his fist at him and missed; Shura had disappeared just in time. But unlike before, he appeared again a few feet away from Kickin Hawk, displaying his sly grin.

"Hmph! Is that all you can do?" Shura asked.

" **I should be asking you the same thing!"** Kickin Hawk replied. **"I may be a bird right now, but you're more of a chicken!"**

"Is that so?" Shura asked rhetorically. "Then I guess I better up my game a bit."

Just then, the Prime Minister's son brought out something. It was a big injection which had an unknown substance in it. So before anything could be said, the young man grinningly injected the substance into his neck and felt the effect of it when his veins briefly became visible on his face and the rest of his body.

"Ha! That's the stuff! Now come out at me!" Shura exclaimed excitedly.

In response, Kickin Hawk agreed. He quickly straightened his hands, before then tightening his fists. Then, without a word, he ran straight for the Prime Minister's son, who just stood there. However, before he actually got close, General Budo seemingly appeared in a blink of an eye and threw a punch at the alien hero.

Fortunately, Kickin Hawk went into his own defense. His animal senses was still active, so he was prepared. Thus, he moved his arms crossed into an X position and took the brunt of Budo's blow. So, rather than being blown away, he skidded backwards and came to a stop.

Back at Shura, he wasn't pleased. He was behind the general since it was the older man that had gotten in his way.

"Out of my way, geezer! He's mine!" Shura yelled angrily.

General Budo turned to him in response. He wasn't scared or worried about the fury that was burning in the young man's heart or what he could do. He instead tilted his head slightly at him and glared at him.

"You are the Prime Minister's son; however…make no mistake on this. You are an uninvited guest and a thing in my way. So take note of this. If you continue to be a disturbance, I will have to put you down to successfully carryout the emperor's order." General Budo stated.

Shura didn't like that though. In fact, if anything, he would've wanted to send the general to a place far away so he could continue fighting Kickin Hawk. However, he surprisingly didn't do it. Instead, he became relaxed and smiled slyly, before taking a few steps back to watch what would unfold.

Now the fight seemed to be back at General Budo and Kickin Hawk. The both of them were the present combatants, as their eyes locked on each other. So rather than say any word, the both of them ran at each other furiously.

But then, something happened. It wasn't by General Budo or by Kickin Hawk; it was by Shura. The young man had seen the moment as a chance to teleport behind the alien hero. So, before Kickin Hawk could react, he felt Shura hold his arm, which then led to him being teleported to some feet from the ground. In other words, he was now falling from high above.

" **What the….!"** Kickin Hawk shouted in shock. Shura's move had just been too quick for even him to react. But once he looked below him and felt the airy breeze on his body, he knew exactly what happened. As for the one responsible, he was nowhere to be seen.

Back on the ground, General Budo could see the alien hero falling. He didn't like that his clash with the alien hero had been interrupted. However, even he saw the advantage to strike the alien hero in the air while he was vulnerable.

So without delay, General Budo lifted his arms to Kickin Hawk's direction and fired some of his lightning. He had a good eye, so his shot was precise. As a result, Kickin Hawk could only watch the attack coming with widened eyes.

" **This is gonna hurt."** Kickin Hawk said.

It wasn't long after that the hero was hit. There was little time for him to react properly, so he accepted his fate and screamed when he was hit and sent plummeting to the ground. As for the aftermath, he ended creating a big dent on the ground.

" **Ow…"** Kickin Hawk winced.

The alien hero could take a lot of hits, so fortunately he wasn't too beaten up. As Kickin Hawk, he was also able to taken an extent of beatings unlike his human form. Thus, the alien hero was able to get back on his feet despite the currents of lightning slightly going over his body.

" **Well that could've gone better."** Kickin Hawk said. He was commenting on the recent event as he stood up straight. **"I should be more aware of my surroundings. The Prime Minister's son could show up anytime."**

"You mean like this?" asked a certain person.

Kickin Hawk immediately reacted. He turned back to see who had responded, but only got a glimpse. That was because the person, Shura, touched the Omnitrix's symbol and teleported himself and Kickin Hawk to a few feet in the air. However, unlike before, Kickin Hawk was falling backwards while Shura was above him and coming down towards him with his legs straight.

So before Kickin Hawk could react, it was too late. The distance between Kickin Hawk and the ground was very short to counterattack. However, this was then shortened when Shura stomped his foot down on the hero's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and hit the ground harder with the young man on top.

A dust cloud immediately shot up into the air. Shura was stronger than he looked, especially due to the substance he had injected himself with. That was why on the ground Kickin Hawk was at a big hole caused by the crash, while Shura stood on top of him. The Omnitrix then chose that moment to time out, changing the teen back to normal.

The moment from then on didn't seem good for the hero. The dust cloud was dissipating when Shura got off the beaten teen and lifted him by grabbing his hair so he could look at him directly. But if that wasn't enough, the young man chose that moment to spit on his face, much to Ben's obvious disgust.

"So you're still alive." Shura said with a mischievous grin. "It doesn't matter though. Right now I have so many thoughts of ways I could kill you now. Maybe then, when you're in the afterlife, you'll regret ever crossing me. But who knows. I might let you live long enough to watch every single person you care about die right before your eyes."

Ben's eyes immediately snapped open with an intensifying glare that then followed. "Big mistake creep!" He shouted.

However, the teen hero didn't stop there. No, he swiftly brought his arms close together and slapped his hand on the Omnitrix's core when the alien device moved back the faceplate. As a result, Ben was engulfed in a flash of green light which caused the Prime Minister's son to let go of him and step back a few.

Meanwhile, Ben's transformation came and ended. Now, rather than being human, he was a red mollusk-like alien with a hood, four slitted green eyes (both on his head and his chest), while also having a mouth that didn't move and barnacles on his shoulders, arms, legs and hands. He also had sharp fingers that represent dactyls (the 'moveable finger' of a crab claw), as well as spikes on his back and crab-like legs on his chest that formed a rib cage. The Omnitrix symbol was on his chest.

" **Water Hazard!"** Ben bellowed. From there, his focus went back on Shura, who had just recovered. **"Let this stick to your head, you spoilt rich brat! A world dictated by the weak and strong is bound to collapse! Why? It's because the tides always changes! LIKE THIS!"**

Water Hazard immediately shot water from his palms to hit Shura. However, the Prime Minister's son only smirked in response and disappeared in a flash of purple light. From there, reappeared behind Water Hazard with a short blade to hit his waist.

"You never learn!" Shura yelled.

With that, he attacked. He swung his short blade straight for the alien hero's waist side with much of his strength. However, to his immediate shock, the weapon broke into pieces when it made contact with the hero's armor.

" **Actually, it's you that hasn't learned!"** Water Hazard said.

The alien hero then counterattacked. He turned and grabbed Shura in the face within his alien hand and then lifted him off the ground. Then, before the young man could react, the alien hero hit the back of his head against the ground, causing the ground to shake and a dust cloud to shoot up into the air.

The next scene that then followed was Water Hazard walking away. Shura was on the ground; however he was unresponsive while most of his head (besides his face) were in the ground. But it didn't matter anyway to the alien hero. He walked out of the hole and looked around him.

" **One annoying creep down and one pompous general to go."** He said to himself. **"Odd…I figured he would come at me right about –"**

Water Hazard was interrupted. This was because, upon sensing something coming, he jumped forward to avoid it, before turning back to see it. Not surprising, it was a lightning that had hit the ground with Budo then standing there, facing him.

"So the Prime Minister's son failed. I expected such." General Budo said calmly. He still had that stern look on his face as he continued. "In the end, it is my duty to take you down. Do not forget that."

" **Yeah, yeah! This conversation is boring my mind already, you know! If you really believe you can take me down then you're as ludicrous as your loyalty"** Water Hazard said jokingly.

General Budo took immediate offense to this. He let out a loud battle cry, which was then followed by him stretching his arms apart and charging up gauntlets furiously.

Unknown to Budo, though, Water Hazard wasn't bothered about him. The hero was just standing there, watching him come for him with no movement at all. But then, when he did move, it was just his one arm, which he directed at the general expressionless.

" **Hey, there's water in your eye."** He casually said.

Water Hazard then fired. He shot a good blast of water all over General Budo's body before the man could react. So before the general knew it, his own lightning was used against him as the voltages generated by his own teigu shocked him furiously until finally it stopped and he fell on his knees, his body smoking.

" **Well that looked quite painful, so are you doing alright still?"** Water Hazard asked with no concern.

"No…I am not 'alright'…" General Budo managed to say. He was weak though, as his body couldn't respond due to the numb feeling he was now going through. But surprisingly he was still able to look at Water Hazard's way and continue. "Anyway….now is your chance. Finish me off. You are clearly the better combatant."

 **"Finally admitting it after I put you through the ringer, huh."** Water Hazard said causally. He then lowered his hand to his hand to aim at the general. **"But you're right, I should end your life right here and now. You're a dangerous obstacle that has to be removed. With you gone, the empire would surely lose some power to oppose people like me."**

General Budo said nothing back. He was still conscious though, but the fact that Water Hazard was right had silent him. However, the alien hero still continued by shocking the man when he lowered his arm he meant to kill him to his side.

 **"But I won't do it."** Water Hazard said, surprising the general. **"That's not the kind of guy I am or the person I want to be. Being a hero is enough for me. It's through it that I'm going to save this world."**

"That…is a foolish…ideology." General Budo said.

 **"Perhaps it is."** Water Hazard replied. He didn't seem the least doubtful though, as he then continued. **"But that's the kind of person I was raised up to be. Just because you have power, doesn't mean you should use it irresponsibly for greed or selfishness. Besides in case you forgot, you've lost this battle so perhaps this just proves that my ideals trump your beliefs."**

"I…see…" General Budo said back. _'So that's what the Beheader meant that time…This man is truly something beyond our comprehension.'_

With that, the general could feel himself blacking it. However, before fully accepting it, he then said. "You have a strong resolve…I see that now. However…just know this. When we meet again, I shall treat you as my arch-enemy…and I will do what I must…for the emperor."

 **"I expect nothing less."** Water Hazard merely acknowledged.

With that, General Budo became unconscious. He didn't fall like most would do; instead his body just maintained that kneeling position with his head down and eyes closed.

With the General finally down and out Water Hazard reverted back to human form as Ben took some breaths as fatigue was catching up to him after fighting 3 enemies in a row.

"Well…I guess that's it." Ben commented. The teen could see that the general was unconscious, so there was no need for him to stay around. However before he left a thought came to his mind. "But I suppose I should at least make sure he can't be a big threat."

And with that Ben walked to the Generals body as he reached for his Teigu intent on claiming it. He didn't know what he would do with it but at least he'll keep it out of the empires hands. Who knows with luck perhaps he might give it to Night Raid when he trusts them enough to have it, until then it'll be safe in his possession away from those who would misuse it.

"Anyway…I hope Aria and Satou got Sheele and that girl to safety. This night's been messed up and I've…huh?"

Ben was suddenly interrupted. It was a flash of purple light from the ground that he noticed. But when he looked down, he realized that a good portion of himself and his surrounding was covered in a huge Ying and Yang energy symbol.

"Did you really think it would be that simple?" asked a familiar voice.

Ben immediately turned back. He knew that voice well and didn't fear it. But he was mildly alarmed when he saw Shura with a scowl on his face and his hand stretched to his direction, holding his Teigu in his hand.

"Anyway, I've decided…" Shura then said. "You're too good for a quick death. That is why I will send you somewhere you will die slowly in an endless void. Witness the power of my Teigu trump, kid, for it will be the last of this world you will see!"

With that, Ben was in trouble. He tried to move his body, but for some reason it refused to obey him. But if that wasn't enough, the Ying and Yang symbol began to move up and teleport any part of his body it passes away. It also hurt him badly. Maybe it was because he could feel the agonizing part of his atoms being taken away from this reality.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done. The symbol continued to move despite his screams until finally he was gone. So unknown to those who knew the teen, he wasn't just gone from the Capital, but their world entirely.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **And that happened! I know the cliffhangers can be annoying, but sometimes they're necessary. I'll see about positing the next chapter as soon as I can.**

 **Anyway, about Shura (or Syura as he is called as well), I know his appearance seemed sudden, but it was foreshadowed in chapter 10. So if you want to be reminded, please read that chapter again. It makes sense for him to be in this chapter.**

 **On another note, I want to announce that I'll get to writing the Generator Rex and Attack on Titan crossover sometime in February. I know I said it would be this month, but some things have come up. Please look forward to it. It'll be interesting.**

 **So in closing, please review this chapter, and if you haven't then please follow and favorite this fanfic. Your support means a lot to me and helps me to continue typing.**


	24. He's back, Assault and Her Return?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Once again, I apologize for this coming late. I left you guys with a cliffhanger for too long. Sorry about that. By the way, another Ben10 reboot alien makes his appearance but with some quirks and changes that I think would make him awesome. You'll see what I mean.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.

 **Chapter 24: He's Back, Assault and…Her Return?**

Darkness – that was what Ben was supposed to see. A few seconds had passed since Ben had been teleported away by Syura's attack. Now he floated aimlessly in the unknown open space before opening his eyes and looking around him.

"Huh...? What?" Ben muttered. His head felt slightly dizzy as he became conscious. Fortunately, a second later his mind cleared up and he recalled what happened. "Oh right. That guy sent me to a void…except…is this really a void?"

Ben was slightly confused. The space he was in was clearly a dimension; however it was far from being a void. The dimension was clearly occupied and colorful with each moment the teen looked at it. He saw a good number of colorful planets in the distant, as well as lights of cosmic beams that raced through some areas in the open space. But if that wasn't enough, the teen hero saw some structures, some of which was the famous Tokyo tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"So much for being sent into a void." Ben commented. With that he lifted his arm that possessed the Omnitrix and touched the device's faceplate with his other arm's fingers. "Now then…time to get out of…What!? Out of power?! You got to be kidding me!"

Ben immediately groaned and threw his arms to his sides. The Omnitrix was in recharge mode, so there wasn't anything he could do. But then something caught his attention and immediately made him turn to the side, becoming surprised in an instant.

"No way…That's the lightning geezer." Ben said.

Indeed, the person he was seeing right there was Grand General Budo. However, the man was inactive because he was still unconscious and badly hurt from his battle with Ben. None of that stopped the teen though, because he then 'swam' his way to the man and held on to him, shaking him soon after.

"Hey! Wake up! We're kind of in a sitch here!" Ben shouted. However, the general was unresponsive to the teen hero, thus Ben let go of him and cried out upwards in frustration. "AAAHH! What should I do now!?"

There was no response. The dimension may be vast, but it didn't seem to have any living occupant other than Ben and the Grand General of the Capital. As a result, the teen hero sighed and laid his head on the unconscious general like he was a table.

"What now…? I can't stay here…" He muttered. From there his mind began to wonder as he recalled certain events. "First Sayo…and now Ieyasu…I've really messed up. I promised the village's chief that I'll keep them safe…But here I am…Floating in an endless dimension while two of those guys are dead…" With that, Ben became depressed. "I was an idiot…I shouldn't have let Ieyasu and Tatsumi go off with Night Raid! Sure, Aria's life was in danger, but I should've tried to get them to understand! So why didn't I?!"

Again, there was no response. Perhaps that was for the best. General Budo was there, but he was far from consciousness so he didn't hear anything from the teen hero. But that didn't stop the sadness that Ben was feeling as he then closed his eyes.

Now at this rate, there was little the teen hero could do. He was lost in a strange dimension and unable to do anything. However, something then happened that caught the teen's attention. It was a flash of green light, not from his Omnitrix but from a place in front of him. Ben was confused by it but he opened his eyes and looked forward to see who it was. He was then shocked at the people he saw.

"Eunice? Azmuth?" Ben muttered.

"Well this is surprising…" said Azmuth calmly. "…but I cannot say I am not surprised."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked, confused.

Azmuth was a being similar to one of Ben's alien form known as Greymatter. However, the only difference to that alien was that Azmuth wore black and green clothes and was far smarter. Currently, he was standing on the shoulder of Eunice, a teenage girl with short blonde hair and bright green eyes and wearing a white dress with a black collar and one stripe in the middle. She also wore black fingerless gloves and black leggings with that color also being on her headband.

"What am I talking about?!" Azmuth questioned rhetorically. Not long after he sighed in mild frustration to control his emotion. "As usual, you fail to comprehend certain circumstances. I'm talking about your stay in that world! When Paradox informed me that he had sent you to that world, I was completely against it! You are not ready for the inhumane lifestyle, the political strife and unjustified psychology of such a world! Fortunately for you, like that time with the Incursean occupation of your home world, the Omnitrix sent a distress signal, which is why Eunice and I are here! Now I'll be taking you back to your world and leave the affairs of that world to its own eventual collapse!"

"You can't do that!" Ben yelled in protest. Azmuth may be the smartest person he knew, but the hero wasn't backing down. "Those people need me! I'm not going to turn my back on them just because of some rough edges!"

"Rough edges!?" Azmuth yelled back. The alien intellect was angry this time. Thus, with mild surprise from Eunice, he jumped on to the unconscious Budo and glared angrily at Ben. "You are a fool, Tennyson! There are worlds which must never come into contact with, especially ones that differ greatly between yours and mine! Your morals are admirable, but in a place where inhumanity is at a rise it would mean nothing!"

"And how would you know?!" Ben yelled back. He was now glaring back at Azmuth with a hateful glare as he continued. "Yes, I admit it! I fucked up big time! But guess what!? I do that a lot! Maybe in that world I can't fix them like I usually do, but at least I can make sure other lives can be changed!"

"So...you curse now?"

"What?"

Azmuth said nothing back, at least not immediately. The intellectual Galvan instead turned his back at Ben with his arms behind him back. "I see now that their world is affecting your way of thinking. Tell me, Ben, have you felt the tendency to kill?"

"Um…" Ben muttered. His anger ceased as he then felt hesitant to answer. However, that didn't stop him from stubbornly looking away. "So what if I have? I've felt it before in my world. There's no difference. I won't let that feeling over take –"

"Those times were different!" Azmuth yelled. His reaction then led him to turn back to Ben. "That is why you're a fool! The tendency to kill is a behavior to beings lower than a Galvan; however the circumstances surrounding that moment can differ! On earth, you were nurtured by your family because of the environment you were born in. But that is not the case of that world! You have seen it, Tennyson! People kill because of one psychotic reason to another! It's barbaric no matter how some of them might justify it! If you end up killing at least one person in that world, there might be grave consequences for crossing that line, not just with the Omnitrix but your mentality as a hero!"

"I won't be like them!" Ben said directly at Azmuth. From there, he turned to Eunice. "Tell him, Eunice. You know me."

Eunice frowned and held her hands together. In as much as she loved Ben, she didn't agree with him.

"I'm sorry, Ben." Eunice said with a soft voice. "Azmuth is right. That place…it's just not right for a person like you. So please…just go home. Those people don't deserve you."

Ben looked away from Eunice. A part of him was angry that Eunice was on Azmuth's side; however he knew somehow that it couldn't be helped. But still, none of that stopped his notion as he looked down at Azmuth.

"I'm not going anyway! I won't let you stop me!"

"Then I'll take the Omnitrix from you!" Azmuth stated angrily.

"Go ahead and try!" Ben replied back. "You can do it, right? But even if you can I'll find a way back! Their world has things called Teigu! I'll just take one of them and keep fighting! You wouldn't mind that, would you!?"

Azmuth growled with a low tone. Along with this, his fists were tightened as he glared at Ben. However, he didn't do anything violent like any small-minded person would've expected. As a result, he surprisingly calmed down a bit and walked over to the Omnitrix and press on the faceplate.

"Since you've decided to go on this foolish endeavor, I have no choice." Azmuth said. His statement was then followed with the Omnitrix faceplate lighting up again. Of course, this action surprised Ben but Azmuth continued anyway. "I've rerouted some of the Omnitrix's vast reserved power. You have fifteen minutes before it'll have to recharge again. I advise you use that wisely."

"Wow! Thanks!" Ben smiled chirpily. "So how about giving me Master Control?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Azmuth warned. He still had his hand on the device's faceplate, so soon after the familiar green hologram of the alien playlist appeared. "I will also give you a new alien. He should be useful. He belongs to the Lepidoterran species."

"Stinkfly? I already got him!" Ben stated in protest. "Come on! Just give me someone actually useful! I haven't used Stinkfly in a long time now!"

"Once again, you're so closed minded." Azmuth stated. "The Lepidotterran species are divided into two species. The first one is the one you acquired when you were ten years old. But now I'll add the second species, the superior type."

With that, Azmuth removed his hand and let the Omnitrix's faceplate to slide back. The alien had already been unlocked, so Azmuth wasted no time. He pressed his hand on the Omnitrix's core and let the blinding green light cover him and everyone else.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A few seconds had passed since Shura had done the unexpected. He had not only sent the empire's greatest nuisance away, but he had sent the grand general himself away as well. The latter didn't bother him though. Instead, he just laughed with his arms spread out as he enjoyed his moment of victory.

"Now do you understand, boy!?" He shouted out loud with pride. "Those who dare faces me only risk having their life cut short. Too bad the lightning geezer got caught in the crossfire! But then again he lost to a pathetic wimp like – huh?"

Shura was taken aback when a bright green light appeared in front of him. It also caused him to shield his face by his arms while wondering what was happening. Fortunately, it lasted for a few seconds before he put his arms down and became shocked at what he saw.

What stood before him were two beings. One of them was clearly a girl; however the one before her was something different. It was a creature, but not like any the young man had seen. For one, it had a humanoid body and stood about 7 feet tall while looking slightly muscular. It also had a blue V stripe on its forehead, with one coming from each eye, one on his nape and one on each finger, as well as three blue fingers on each of his hands and three-toed dark cyan feet which had the third toe at the back of his feet.

On other details, the creature also wore a strange suit. It was a jumpsuit unknown to the Prime Minister's son and it was a skintight one. The jumpsuit consisted of a black and green color skin. On the chest, there was a large black stripe in the middle while the green stripes at the sides went all the way down his suit's bottom's sides and to the end of his ankle. Along with that, the end of his suit's wrists was green and a green belt around his waist contained the Omnitrix symbol. He also wore a hazmat mask, a mechanical pack on his back and had two black antennae on his head.

" **Stinkfly!"** He cried out. His voice sounded deep but raspy when he spoke. But then upon speaking, the alien hero paused and looked at his new form. **"Wow! This isn't the Stinkfly I know! Heck, is this even Stinkfly….. I'm gonna call you…..Stink Buzzer?!"**

"Ben…?"

The now named Stink Buzzer turned to the source of the voice. He was instantly surprised.

"Eunice?" He questioned.

True to his eyes, the person behind him was Eunice. She was on the ground in a kneeling position at a still unconscious Budo's body. There was no trace of Azmuth though, but there was no time for that. Shura decided then to react by teleporting behind Eunice and wrapping his right arm around her neck, restraining her.

" **Eunice!"** Ben shouted his shock. The teen's reaction then changed to anger as he glared at Shura angrily. **"Let her go!"**

"And why should I?!" Shura yelled. His anger at the alien hero's presence was very clear as he glared back at the teen. From there, he tightened his grip around Eunice's neck to the point that it hurt her and continued. "How did you get out of the void!? You piece of shit think you can humiliate me!? I'll have you die in a moment's notice!"

Stink Buzzer snarled angrily, but did nothing. His reason for inaction was because of Shura's nature, which was clearly something not to be underestimated. It also didn't help that Eunice was in a bad positon as she held the young man's arm. But surprisingly she didn't seem scared.

"Ben…get him…on my que." Eunice managed to say.

"What are you talking about, bitch!?" Shura yelled in anger.

Not long after, the young man hit Eunice. He did this by punching her with his free arm, thus sending her to the ground. But then, before any of the guys could react, she swiftly grabbed on to one of Budo's Teigu gauntlets and let a flash of green light to shine from her hand. This then led to her sitting up and shooting a blast of lightning from her palm directly at Shura, sending him flying back and screaming.

"Now!" Eunice shouted.

" **Right!"** the large insectoid nodded.

With that, the alien hero went into action. He made a big jump for Shura, who had hit the ground by then. However, as he closed in on the young man, Shura teleported in a flash of purple light and Ben ended up hitting the ground instead.

"Did you really think that would work?" asked a certain voice.

Stink Buzzer stood up straight and turned to the source of the voice. It was Shura, unsurprisingly, and he was standing behind Ben, some feet away.

" **You're one to talk."** Stink Buzzer replied. **"All you do is disappear and do sneak attacks. How about attacking me front and central, instead of being some big coward?"**

Shura gritted his teeth in annoyance. Every moment, Ben had proven to be a great annoyance to the Prime Minister son. Thus, it came at that moment that Shura got into a fighting stance and motioned his hand for Ben to come for him.

"You're going to regret that, boy. I'll make sure of it." Shura said threateningly

In response, Stink Buzzer grinned and did what he could. He ran straight for Shura quickly and swung a punch to his face. However, to his surprise, the Prime Minister's son moved aside to dodge it and did it again when the teen hero swung another punch. So before Ben knew it, the young man punched him at the stomach with so much force that he was knocked off the ground.

Fortunately, this new version of Stinkfly was more reactive. He landed on the ground with his two feet and looked forward to face the Prime Minister's son again. Unfortunately, he failed to react. Shura came quicker than the average man and punched swung two punches at both sides of his face. Then, before Ben could react, he grabbed the alien hero by the shoulders and sent his knee directly into Stink Buzzers stomach with so much force that a small boom was heard.

Ben didn't have a chance to respond. He let out a grunt as green blood spat out of his mouth. But if that wasn't enough, Shura then lifted Stink Buzzer off the ground and threw him over to the ground. From there, he then marched onward strike his boot on Bens chest and looked at him with a menacing glare.

"You're all talk and no fight!" Shura stated. "I've fought some of the best the martial arts world had to offer! But what can you do?! You thought you could beat me! Big mistake, asshole! Now you're going to die here and you'll have no one to blame but yourself!"

Stink Buzzer chuckled. It was odd at the moment, considering his position. But of course this got Shura's attention and made him angry to the point that he pressed down on Stink Buzzer's chest.

"What's so funny!?" He yelled.

" **Oh nothing."** Stink Buzzer said, chuckling. **"I just remembered this one episode of Sumo Slammers. I could tell you about it, but you'll be confused and more pissed off about it than you are now. You see, it has this one scene like this and -"**

Shura growled in response. He had no idea of what Ben spoke of, but one thing was certain were the fact that he was going to kill him. Hence, he brought out a blade from his back and held it tightly to strike the alien hero. However, Stink Buzzer had one trick up his sleeve.

" **Oh and another thing..."** Stink Buzzer said. Then he smirked. **"Guess who has too much tan and is about to get his butt whooped?"**

Shura didn't answer. His main goal and attention was to kill Ben right then and there. As such, he brought his blade down on Stink Buzzer, who quickly reacted. He shot out green stink gases from two ducts on his shoulders that the Prime Minister's son ended up sniffing. As a result, the young man cried out in disgust and dropped his blade just to cover his nose.

Now Stink Buzzer had an opening. He quickly used his hands to jump back to his feet. From there, he swiftly turned to Shura and swung a kick so strong that it sent the young man flying a few feet away.

He didn't stop there though. Stink Buzzer was on the upper-hand from the looks of it. As such, he leapt up into the air with impressive speed and strength before coming down for Shura to stomp on. However, Shura saw him coming and quickly teleported out of the way. Hence, Stink Buzzer marched the ground, which caused a small shockwave to break the ground apart.

That didn't mean the fight was over though. In fact, Shura was back at Stink Buzzer by teleporting at the alien hero's side in mid-air with a kick. Unfortunately for him, his attack failed because Stink Buzzer caught his ankle in time before knocking him to the ground with great force that shattered the ground.

Stink Buzzer from then on did some damage. He was still holding on to Shura's ankle when he lifted the young man up. Thus, before the man could react, the alien hero threw him upward in the air, before then jumping straight for him and delivering a strong swing kick to the stomach that sent the Prime Minister's son crashing into a pile of wood.

Now at this point, there wasn't much one could expect. Stink Buzzer was back on the ground and walking towards the place Shura had been knocked into. So before anything could be said, the Prime Minister's son rose from the pile of wood with a loud cry and a killer psychotic look on his face as he turned to Stink Buzzer.

" **So you're still conscious."** Stink Buzzer said causally. The posture he possessed as he walked towards Shura was heroic was he continued. **"You won't last long anyway. I've been in the Capital long enough to see the poor state of the people. I've even lost a few good people along the way because I was reckless. But not this time. I'm going to make it out of this fight and I will bring this empire down. You can be damn sure about it."**

Shura was silent in response. The only thing he had towards Ben was malice and the feeling to kill. But then, the young man suddenly erupted into a fit of laughter before a smirk formed on his face.

"You really know how to talk shit huh?" Shura stated. "You?! Take down the empire?! Don't think sprouting nonsense will save you from me! Like you, I have some surprises! And now I think it's time I finish you off!"

And so he went into action. Shura clutched his Teigu with both hands and directed it at Stink Buzzer's way. So before the hero knew it, a smaller version of the ying-and-yang symbol appeared under his feet.

" **Oh…shit. This again…"** Stink Buzzer said.

It was now too late to escape. Stink Buzzer was instantly teleported away and to another location. Hence, the next scene Stink Buzzer saw was him falling from high attitude and Shura above him and then clutching his hand around his alien's neck.

"This is where it ends for you!" Shura yelled loudly. "With Shambahala I could send you into the depths of a volcano! I can have you taken to the bottom of the ocean! Heck, I can even send you to the belly of the worst Danger Beasts! But I won't do any of that! No, I'm going to make sure your body is impaled by the sharpest point of the Imperial Castle so all may see the fall of their beloved 'hero'! Haha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Stink Buzzer was quiet. He should be afraid, but for some reason he wasn't. He instead chose that moment to look back at what Shura said which turned out to be almost true. There was a metal like a metal spear directly below him, but it wasn't like Stink Buzzer would let himself die that easily. As such, he turned back to Shura and held the young man's wrist with both hands.

" **I got to say, you're crazy if you think I'll die like this!"**

"Don't act so smug! You're going to die!"

" **See! That's the crazy talking!"** Stink Buzzer stated casually. **"Maybe if you weren't crazy you would have realized one other thing about me!"**

"And what's that?"

" **These! There's a reason I call this guy Stink Buzzer!"**

A pair of orange wings suddenly sprouted out of mechanical pack on Stink Buzzer's back. It surprised Shura, who could do nothing but stare in mild shock of it. But then Stink Buzzer went on the offense by shooting stink gases at Shura's face like before. As a result, the young man cried out in disgust as he covered his face again.

"AAAHHH! You bastard! It's in my eyes!" Shura cried out.

" **Dude, that's not the only thing that's gonna be in your eyes!"** Stink Buzzer stated jokingly. He then took Shambhala from Shura's hand swiftly. **"Yoink! Now let's see how you do without your little toy"**

"BASTARDDDDDD!" Shura cried out angrily.

Originally, Shura had been on a pursuit to kill Ben. However, with time, things had changed. He snapped his eyes open to reveal bloody red and leaking tears. Now there was no order senses to him other than the rage and urge to kill Ben. He even prepared to punch Stink Buzzer at the face.

"GIVE ME BACK SHAMBAHALA! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" He cried out in rage.

 **"** **What you need is some anger management classes and quite possibly some lobotomy, considering you can't even see you've long since lost this fight to me."**

Angered even more by the remarks the Prime Minister's son swung a punch. He wanted it to make contact with the alien's hero's face. However, he missed and cried out in frustration as Stink Buzzer flew passed him and maintained himself in the air.

Now it was just the Prime Minister's son and his impending doom that awaited him. The metal spear which he had intended for Stink Buzzer was now directly below him. In a way, it was scary because he was just a few seconds away from getting killed. But at the same time Shura couldn't care about his own life. His face still showed his burning anger for Ben even in the moment of danger.

Unfortunately, his death didn't come. Stink Buzzer rushed towards the Prime Minister's son and grabbed him by the back of his cloth. From there, he flew him out of the reach of the spike and just held him with one hand.

" **Yeah…I'm probably going to regret saving your crazed butt."** Stink Buzzer muttered with an irritated tone. **"First it was Seryu and now it's another psychotic guy with a Teigu. Well…at least I took his Teigu. That has to be a good sign, right?"**

"You!" Shura shouted. He turned back to face Stink Buzzer and strained his face with the deadliest and nastiest of anger and hatred. "Saving me will be your mistake! I swear I'll find you and anyone you care about and then I'll kill them right before your eyes!"

Stink Buzzer was silent to respond. The reason was obviously clear just from hearing Shura. As such, Stink Buzzer didn't react when his sharp fingertips began to tear from the Prime Minister's son's cloth. He didn't even react when his fingers finally tore through his cloth completely. Hence, the next thing that happened was Shura screaming as he was sent falling to the ground until he hit the ground.

" **Oops…Looks like my fingers slipped."** Stink Buzzer said with a plain tone. Of course, he was being sarcastic as he stayed in the air.

A few seconds later, the alien hero flew down to the ground. The reason for that was to examine Shura, who had painfully hit the ground. So in that moment, he bent down and touched the side of Shura's neck before standing up.

" **Well…he's still alive, but unconscious. I don't know if I should be relieved or not."** Stink Buzzer muttered to himself. From there his mind wondered off to the warning Azmuth had said, thus he raised his open hand to his face. **_'Was that just me being me…or is this world really affecting me? To be honest, that scares me.'_**

Now at that moment, Ben wanted nothing more than to think over his action. However, his bug-like senses went off due to an incoming threat. Unfortunately, Stink Buzzer was unable to react, hence he got hit by a round object that exploded on impact and sent him flying some few feet away.

Stink Buzzer was fortunate to survive that. Unlike the other Stink Buzzer, his reflexes were far sharper. This was shown when the teen hero landed on his feet even though he skidded back just to stop. But the danger wasn't over, especially as his two antennae went off again to alert him of danger which came in the form of a great number of Imperial guards rushing at him.

"Eliminate the intruder! Do not let him draw anywhere close to the Imperial Castle!" ordered one individual soldier.

"Yes, sir!" responded a loud cry from every guard.

' ** _The Imperial Castle?'_** Stink Buzzer questioned, confused.

For a moment, the alien hero had no idea of his location. His fight with Shura had been something he wanted to end, so he wasn't really aware of his location. But now that he thought it of it, Shura did mention killing him on top of the Imperial Castle.

' ** _So I'm really there. Does that mean that…wait, that Teigu. Where is it?!'_** Stink Buzzer wondered. He knew it wasn't in his hand, likely because it flew out of his hand when he was hit.

Anyway, none of that mattered now. Stink Buzzer looked about until his bug-like eyes caught sight of two individuals are a huge balcony, looking down on him. One of them was fat and dressed in expensive clothing while having long white beard. As for the other person, it was a young boy who couldn't be older than twelve. However, the boy was dressed in richer clothes and wore a strange crown and holding some kind of staff in his hand.

Ben immediately figured out who the two of them are.

' ** _No way…! Those two must be the Prime Minister and the Emperor! I'm actually just some feet away from them!"_**

Stink Buzzer was right. Though the distance was far in height, the emperor and the Prime Minister were watching the scene.

"What is that?!" The Emperor wondered. His eyes were fixed on Stink Buzzer, whom he could see was being surrounded by his Imperial guards. "This night has become quite odd and troubling! General Budo was said to engage the Teigu user in combat, but yet we haven't heard from him. And just recent, someone just crashed into my palace's ground."

"Your Highness." called out a soldier.

The Emperor turned to the voice in response. He saw that the one behind him was another guard of the Imperial Castle; however his armor was slightly upgraded than most of them as a clear show of his rank as he bowed on one knee to the emperor.

"Please, we must take you and the Prime Minister to safety." The ranked guard stated.

"Is that so?" asked the Prime Minister. Unlike the Emperor, he was looking down on the surrounded hero as he continued. "Commander, is the castle's security not firm? If it is not, then that would be troubling. Besides, it looks like whatever that Danger Beast is will pay dearly for invading the Imperial Castle."

"But Prime Minister…" The soldier said.

Just then, the Emperor spoke. His face was serious as he spread his arm aside. "Summon General Budo back to the Castle. His aid will be needed…"

"Ah…that is not possible." said the commander. His news, of course, earned shock from the emperor and the Prime Minister, the latter of whom turned back. Anyway, the commander continued. "As reported an hour ago, General Budo engaged in battle with the wanted Teigu user. Since then, we were ordered by him to clear the area of citizens so they won't be causalities. But…since then we haven't heard from him. Even the signs of a battle have ceased…We cannot pinpoint his exact location."

The Emperor became silent. His mind felt very troubled upon hearing the news. However, rather than say anything, he turned away from the soldier and turned back to Prime Minister and tightened his fist.

' _No…I can't become show weakness in a time like this. I have to find a resolve. I'm sure that's what the Prime Minister would advise me to do.'_ He thought.

With that, the Emperor turned back to the soldier and spread his hand forward, holding his staff. "Go! Locate General Budo and report back on any findings! I expect good results!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The man replied in obedience.

Back at the Prime Minister, he turned back to the scene. He had nothing to say considering General Budo, especially due to what was happening on the ground. Thus, the man brought out a small telescope from his coat and used it to get a better and closer look at Stink Buzzer, which immediately brought a reaction.

' _It's…It's him!'_ Prime Minister thought angrily. His reaction then was followed by a flashback of the night he was captured in Alien X's barrier. As a result, the old man gritted his teeth as he glared at the figure. _'That symbol on his belt, there's no mistaking it!'_

The Prime Minister finally took action. By that, he dropped his telescope and looked back at the Imperial guards.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOTS DOING DOWN THERE!? KILL HIM IMMEDIATELY AND BRING ME HIS HEEEAAAAADDDDD!"

The Emperor was surprised by the Prime Minister's tone. He had known the older man for a very long time, so seeing him this furious was unexpected. However, he said nothing of it as the soldiers immediately opened fire on Stink Buzzer.

" **Oh shit!"** Stink Buzzer shouted with widened eyes.

Though Stink Buzzer was fast, the time to react was very little for him. He could only stand there and see the bullets coming for him. But then, when he tried flying, he didn't leave the ground; instead his wings let out a loud screeching sonic wave that spread throughout the field.

So it happened right there that the guards were taken aback. The sonic waves from Stinfly's wings came with dangerous results. As such, each man cried out in loud pain as some either drop their weapons to clutch their ears or fall back to the ground unconscious. It was basically an unbearable experience, with some windows of the Imperial Castle shattering into pieces.

Meanwhile, Stink Buzzer was unfazed. The bullets that were heading for it shattered into black dust, so he just stood there in excitement.

" **Wow! This is so cool!"** Stink Buzzer exclaimed cheerful at discovering his new ability. **"Go me! Go me! This Stink Buzzer rules!**

With that, Stink Buzzer stopped his assault. He then took the moment to look around him to see the fate of the Imperial guards. Luckily, most of them were unconscious while the others were in pain as they lay on the ground. However, Stink Buzzer didn't have time to think on it. Three cannon balls were sent his way, which immediately made him to fly away before they hit.

Now in the air, Stink Buzzer witnessed what the balls did. He saw them exploded upon hitting the ground and getting some of the guards in its explosive paths. It made Stink Buzzer angry.

" **Hey! Those are your guys over there!"** Stink Buzzer yelled.

His words went unheard, unfortunately. Another cannon ball was sent his way, which he dodged. However, rather than trying reasoning with the shooters again, the alien hero took action from flying forward. The Imperial Castle was equipped with cannons from open walls and windows. In fact, if that wasn't enough, gunmen climbed to the top of the various roofs and began opening fire on Stink Buzzer.

Fortunately for the hero, his perception of his surroundings was sharper. He saw the bullets coming before remarkably maneuvering past them. Then, as he drew close to the guards, he shot stinger beams from the ducts on his shoulders and knocked out as many guards as he could.

Of course, it wasn't easy. Stink Buzzer had to be wary of cannon balls that were being shot his way, as well as the bullets. The guards were clearly determined to knock him down, so he didn't underestimate them. But it was fortunate that he had the speed and the enhanced reactive sense on his side. Thus, with each shot from his stinger beams, he knocked many of the soldiers, both the gunmen and the canon firing team.

However, the battle was far from over. Stink Buzzer had come to a stop but he could still see men on the ground rushing to his area. But if that wasn't enough, he saw a couple of guards escorting the emperor and the Prime Minister away, which angered.

' ** _No! I can't let him get away! At least not when I'm so close!'_** Stink Buzzer thought determinedly. So with that, he flew to the balcony's way. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy because three guards showed up with rifle guns and began shooting at him.

' ** _These guys sure are so annoying!'_** Stink Buzzer thought as he drew close. Like before, he maneuvered past the bullets as he flew. **_'But I can't let the Prime Minister get away! This might be my only chance to set things right! Once I've done that…then all this madness, the killing, the corruption, everything will be over! I don't know how, but I get the feeling that once I lose this chance I won't get it again so easily! So for the sake of those who have died, I won't fail them!'_**

With that, pure determination flowed through Stink Buzzer's body and mind. It was exhilarating as it bumped his adrenaline to keep moving forward. As such, the moment he had thought the last word, he came to a stop and unleashed yet another screeching sound wave from his wings at the guards which immediately caused them to cry out in pain and drop their weapons to cover their ears.

Now it was Stink Buzzer's turn to attack. He stopped his sonic attack, but only to then fly directly at the man in the middle to deliver a front kick to the stomach. Of course, this attack was enough to knock the man away, as well as to get the other men attention. But there was nothing they could do. Stink Buzzer grabbed them by their necks with both hands and knocked their head with one another. Hence, they two hit the ground unconscious.

There was still much to be done. Stink Buzzer walked on the balcony and got into a hallway. There, he saw how expensive and beautiful looking it was until he saw a few guards escorting the emperor and the Prime Minister away at the other end.

' ** _No! He's getting away!'_** Stink Buzzer thought.

Ben never expected the task to be easy. After all, not only has he fought three Teigu users that night but he had faced a lot of Imperial guards ever since getting to the Imperial castle. But of course none of that mattered because he knew reinforcement were on their way, with that then being obvious.

From two directions, Stink Buzzer witnessed about ten guards rushing. They were obvious coming for him, so he was their main target. However, Stink Buzzer was getting frustrated by the whole thing, and thus he used his wings to let out yet another screeching sonic wave.

So like before, all men cried out in pain. In fact, some of them were knocked out immediately while others fell to the ground in pain. As for the windows there, they shattered in a matter of seconds before Stink Buzzer stopped and flew the direction he had seen the Prime Minister and the emperor being taken to.

That didn't mean it was easy though. The Imperial Castle was heavily guarded both by men and traps it was infamously knocked for. Stink Buzzer even found this out when metal spikes from the walls revealed themselves and shot at his direction. Fortunately, Stink Buzzer reacted by coming to a stop and again unleashing his screeching sound wave with a loud cry. However, unlike before, this sonic wave was so powerful that it destroyed the spikes and caused a level of destruction in that section of the castle.

So by the time Stink Buzzer stopped, there was much devastation. Different hallways had long cracks around them with many of its expensive designs destroyed. At the same time, many guards littered the ground, including the ones escorting the Prime Minister and the Emperor. Unsurprisingly though, the two individuals were also on the ground but conscious as they could hear their guards weakly whining in pain.

"What…What was that…?" The Emperor muttered. He could feel his head having a mild headache that just wouldn't go away. But that didn't stop him from looking at the Prime Minister's way and seeing the man weakly on the ground.

' _Even the Prime Minister is down.'_ The Emperor thought in mild shock. He could see that Honest was conscious, but not with the strength to stand up. As such he began to worry. _'No! It can't end like this! I have to…fight back! I have to –'_

The Emperor was suddenly interrupted. It was by a strange ringing sound which came from behind him. Hence, when he turned, he saw a flash of light before an unfamiliar teenage boy caught his sight by standing there.

"Oh come on, Omnitrix! I was so close!" The teenage boy said. He was staring at a strange watch on his wrist which he was looking at.

All this confused the Emperor, however. He hadn't seen the teen before, but he could tell he was the cause of everything. As such he acted by struggling to his arms and knees, glaring at the teen.

"W-Who are you?! You're the cause of this! Answer me!" He shouted angrily.

"Huh?" The teen turned to the emperor. It seemed then at that moment that he noticed the boy's presence. But rather than being offensive towards him, he became concerned and ran towards. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, dude! I had no idea you would get hurt!"

The Emperor was surprised. For a second, he thought he may have been wrong about the teen being responsible. However, he spoke against him when Ben tried to touch him.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted.

Ben paused before taking his hand back. He knew who the boy was, but didn't seem to think on that. But then his head turned to Honest, whom immediately got his attention to the point that he stood up and walked towards him.

"Hey! Where are you going!?" The Emperor shouted. He was surprised by Ben's sudden change in mood, unaware of what the reason was. Anyway, none of that mattered to the teen hero as he kept heading to Honest with a serious look on his face.

"I'm going to end this tonight." Ben stated strongly.

At that moment, the only thing running on Ben's mind was exactly what he said. He didn't know how he would do it; he just knew that he should do something. As such, it was right there that he grabbed Honest's shoulder and pulled on him to lie on his back. Then, with a hateful face unlike any other, he looked all around Honest until he noticed a gun hidden by the man's coat and pulled it out, pointing the pistol at the old man's forehead.

The Emperor was in shock. His eyes were widened as he saw what Ben was about to do. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. His body still felt weak for him to do anything. But that didn't stop Ben. He just stared at the old man with hateful mind.

' _What now?! What should I do?!'_ Ben thought. _'I have this gun in my hand! The least I can do is end his life right here and now! He's the real reason Sayo and the Ieyasu aren't here anymore! If he didn't exist Aria wouldn't be what she was, Sheele would be fine and having a normal life and Tatsumi still be with his friends and enjoying his life with the villagers! So I have to do it! I have to end this…one way or the other!'_

' _That is why you're a fool!'_

' _Azmuth?'_ Ben's eyes widened. He knew the voice in his head very well. It was the exact one he heard when he was stuck in that dimension by Shura. Thus, he had a flashback of that moment with Azmuth.

' _The tendency to kill is a reckless behavior to beings lower than a Galvan; however the circumstances surrounding that moment can differ! On earth, you were nurtured by your family because of the environment you were born in. But that is not the case of that world! You have seen it, Tennyson! People kill because of one psychotic reason to another! It's barbaric no matter how some of them might justify it! If you end up killing at least one person in that world, there might be grave consequences for crossing that line, not just with the Omnitrix but your mentality as a hero!'_

' _That's right…This must be what Azmuth was referring to.'_ Ben thought. His mind surprisingly began to calm down as he continued. _'But still…I have to do it. This man will just keep going. I have to –'_

"Let go of him!" The Emperor yelled. His tone was enough to snap Ben out of his thoughts and turn towards him. Hence, the boy was glaring at the teen hero. "I'm the Emperor! The weight of everyone in this empire falls on me! So if you must…SHOOT ME INSTEAD! I won't stay back and let you hurt my Prime Minister!"

Ben said nothing back. He was taken aback by the Emperor's strong words despite how futile it may seem. But then Ben turned back to Honest and concentrated on the man.

' _His Prime Minister…? He really doesn't know the type of monster he really is.'_ He thought. _'But…as much as I hate to say it…that kid is doing what he believes is right. I can't cross the line of being a killer…at least not when I'm not ready. Besides, if I kill a guy right in front of child his age, I won't be any better than him or Night Raid.'_

With that, Ben's mind softened. He became quiet in mind for a few seconds before throwing the gun away and grabbing Honest by his shirt. Now he was staring angrily at the weakened look of the Prime Minister.

"Hey! You're still conscious, right?!" He yelled. He could see from his position that Prime Minister was still conscious, so he continued. "I hate your ass so much! You've done so much wrong that it makes me sick! Heck, I should even make you feel every terrible thing you've done! But you know what?! I won't! I never want to cross the line like you have! People like you will never understand that with great power comes great responsibility! So for now just watch me, because I'm going to make sure everything is set right!"

With that, Ben was done. He let go of the half-conscious Prime Minister and headed to the Emperor, who responded by glaring at him. However, none of that that fazed Ben as he got on one knee and faced him with a soft look.

"Hey…I'm sorry for what I did to you. You probably still don't want me to touch you huh?" Ben said.

"Why…"

"Huh?" Ben was a bit confused.

"Why are you being so kind?!" The Emperor yelled angrily. His frustration of the situation finally overtook him. "Do you think acting so kind to me will save you?! I'll have you pay for this! Mark my words!"

"I see…" Ben muttered. From there he stood up and sighed and looked down at the boy. "Well…I can't blame you for hating me. I basically barged into your place and wrecked it. But believe me when I say this…I don't mean you any harm nor am I your enemy. I'm not saying it to save my skin. Trust me, I just went through a lot death defying moments, so whatever you got probably won't match it. I just beat a crazy Imperial guard and her Teigu and kicked both butts of General Budo and the Prime Minister's son."

"General Budo?" The Emperor was shocked. "Impossible! There's no way you could've beaten him!"

"Eh, believe what you want." Ben said with a shrug of shoulders. "But if you're open for actual advice, here's one. Get off that high horse of yours for once and take a look outside. Things are a lot worse than what you've been let on. Bye."

The Emperor was left speechless. Here was a single individual who had said things that sounded unbelievable. However, the more he remained quiet and watched Ben walk away, the more confused he felt.

Back at Ben, he had his own thoughts. _'Men…I could tell him everything that's wrong with the empire, especially about his Prime Minister. But knowing this kind of situation, he won't believe me. Besides, reinforcements will be here soon. I have to get out of here…What a bother.'_

With that, there was nothing else to be said. Ben kept walking away while the emperor watched him. However, there was something that made him stop. It was the air, which surprisingly became misty cold in an unprecedented rate. But if that wasn't enough, Ben felt an ominous presence in front of him to the point that he became wary.

' _What is this mist? There's no way this place would be so cold so fast.'_ Ben thought observantly.

Soon enough steps of high heels were heard. It echoed through the hall as each step the person responsible made came closer. It also didn't help that the mist hid the mysterious person. But it didn't matter soon. Ben's vision caught sight of a feminine figure with long hair as she came closer.

"I must say, you've caused quite the ruckus here." said the mystery person. It was a woman though, but the tone of her voice sounded menacing as she drew closer. "Tell me, can you still fight? I've fought a variety of enemies, some stronger than the others but in the end they've proven to be quite unworthy. But someone told me you're different. I see it now. The level of power you've shown just this night proves it, so now you've gotten my full attention."

"Who are you?" Ben questioned. He showed no fear, but a focused look on his face.

That didn't intimidate the mysterious woman though. She was clearly unfazed by it as she giggled in response. But it wasn't long after that she stepped forward, revealing her womanly figure just a few feet from Ben.

"I am General Esdeath. I believe you may have heard of me." The woman said with a smirk.

"No way…" Ben was surprised. He took a step back and reached his hand to the Omnitrix by his side. Unfortunately, there was no response from the alien device.

"That Teigu…" Esdeath said, intimidating. "That must be the Omnitrix, am I correct?"

Ben's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the woman. _'She knows about the Omnitrix? How?'_

"Hmm, that look on your face means I'm right." Esdeath smiled slyly. She followed her statement by letting out a giggle and then raising her hand up to her chest level. "I have a proposition. Surrender right now and I promise you won't go unscathed. Of course…it's not like you have a choice."

Ben suddenly noticed something was off. The icy mist suddenly subsided, but not in the way he hoped. Instead they formed into big individual spikes in the air and pointing at Ben's direction. In other words, Ben was in a bad position.

"So…what do you say?" Esdeath asked.

Ben said nothing other than glare at the woman angrily. He hated to admit it, but he didn't have a chance to survive this without some sort of a miracle. Still, there was the option of surrendering but he wasn't one to do such a thing in most predicaments.

However, none of that would matter to the general. Esdeath was in a higher position to capture the teen hero. He had no way to escape without the Omnitrix powering up. But still, she could tell that the teen was reluctant to accept her condition even though she secretly didn't intend to kill him. She had her reasons.

Fortunately, a miracle did happen at that moment. It happened above the Imperial Castle as dark clouds began to form above it. Of course, this caught the attention of the Imperial guards outside and a certain cloaked figure that had accompanied Esdeath riding on top of a flying Danger Beast. But if that wasn't enough, charges of lightning raced through the dark clouds until a bolt of lightning shot right down and crashed through the castle.

Back with Esdeath and Ben, they were still at a standstill. Nothing was said between them except by the looks on their faces that seemed to send a mental message at one another. However, even before a word could actually happen, they individually felt something big was coming and reacted.

Both Ben and Esdeath jumped back. They did it just in time to avoid a lightning bolt that came crashing down. Of course, the collision to the ground caused a blast of wind to push away anyone in the area unable to hold their stand. Hence, Honest and the unconscious Imperial guards were sent flying. The same would've been for the emperor but he was caught by the wrist by Ben and pulled to the teen's chest.

' _He's saving me?'_ He thought, surprised.

Back at the scene, there was much more. The hovering ice spikes Esdeath had created were blown away and shattered while the woman herself stood firm. Thus, when the wind ended, a dust cloud formed and subsided, revealing the one responsible for everything.

"Eunice?" Ben said.

The humanoid version of the Unitrix turned her head to Ben. She was the one responsible for what just happened in the castle, though how she did it wasn't clear. But then it didn't matter at the moment. The blonde girl turned her attention to Esdeath who was now staring at her.

"Stay back, Ben! I'm getting us both out of here!" Eunice stated.

Esdeath smiled slyly. She heard the blonde girl well, but thought of it as nonsense talk. So in that moment, she moved her hand forward at Eunice's way.

"I'm not letting any of you leave!" She shouted.

With that, a gush of ice headed for Eunice's way. There was little time to react, as even Ben could feel its overwhelming power. But then, to his surprise, Eunice stood quietly and summoned lightning charges all around without moving a bit. It even felt more intense, especially as her eyes charged the same lightning and widened, sending a huge blast of lightning against Esdeath's attack.

The damage that happened right there was unexpected. Both Esdeath and Eunice attacks had clashed but in a level that sent a shockwave between the two. Along with this, harsh wind were pushed against Ben and the Emperor, the former of whom held the emperor and fought against the force.

In the end Ben and the emperor survived, but astonished at the raw power. However, none of them could say anything as Eunice turned to Ben, still standing.

"Come on! We have to get out of here!" She shouted.

Ben nodded in response. He knew Eunice was right despite the level of power she displayed. So before getting up, he made sure to put the confused emperor on the ground. Then, without saying a word, he ran over to Eunice who in turn embraced him in a hug, surprising him.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She said softly. "Please hang on to me."

"Uh…sure." Ben replied, uncertain.

Eunice wasn't telling what she had in mind, but Ben complied. As a result, the girl suddenly shot a blast of lightning from her feet that sent both her and the hero flying through the hole she had made recently.

"They're getting away!" The Emperor shouted.

"Worry not, Your Highness. I have it covered."

Esdeath was revealed then to still be standing. To her, the attack just recent was nothing that she couldn't handle. Hence, her tone was calm and mischievous as she stared at the hole above them with a sly smirk.

"Now then…time to see what you're made up of, my new recruit." She said.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The moment seemed to be working in Ben and Eunice's favor. By now, they were above the castle as the both of them were getting higher and distancing themselves from the place. Of course, this surprised Ben when he looked down and then back at the blonde.

"You did it, Eunice! That was so awesome!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"Thank you, Ben." Eunice said and blushed a bit. She didn't want to think of it, but Ben was holding on to her a bit too close. It also felt a bit embarrassing, but also nice at the same time.

Unfortunately, there was one thing they didn't know. For one, it was a flying Danger Beast heading their way from the distance. So before any of them could react, it was too late. The Danger Beast rammed its head right at them while the cloaked figure on top of its head watched as the both of them were sent crashing to the ground, screaming.

"Ben!" Eunice shouted.

From the looks of it, the both of them weren't going to survive. The strange Danger Beast from before had knocked them apart from each, but not far from one another. Thus, Eunice and Ben reached out their hand to grab one another despite the air pressure fighting back against them. As such, they succeeded before Eunice pulled Ben to her and wrapped her other arm around him. From them she shot lightening from her feet and other hand to reduce the speed of their fall until they landed on the ground on their feet safely.

"Hey, you okay?" Eunice asked. She followed this by letting go of Ben and taking a few steps back from him, slightly embarrassed.

Ben didn't notice her attitude though. A part of the reason was because he was oblivious as he smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good call, Eunice. You saved us just now." He said gladly.

In response, Eunice looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks. She didn't want to admit it but she was feeling strange around Ben. As such, she raised one of her fingers to her blonde hair and began twirling a few strands of it, looking away.

"Um…thank you. I really appreciate that." She said.

Ben was now confused. It may have been almost a year since he spoke with the girl, but he still knew something was off about her. However, before he could ask, a blast of wind hit them and caught their attention to look forward and up.

In that moment, both Ben and Eunice saw the Danger Beast from before. It didn't do anything except hovering them by flapping the wings on its back and looking down on them with its sharp teeth and red eyes. But then their attention was taken to its head when the cloaked figure from before revealed itself on top of the monster's head with its human hands on human hips.

"Well isn't this cute? It makes me want to puke." said the mysterious person with a female voice.

Ben recognized the voice immediately.

"That voice…I know it somewhere." He said.

"Hmph! Nice to see you still remember me." The mysterious girl said. She then jumped off the Danger Beast's head and landed on the ground. From there, she pulled the cloak back, revealing her face to Ben and Eunice. "It's been a while…cousin."

"Sunny!" Ben yelled.

Indeed, the one standing in front of them was Sunny. However, she didn't look the same way as she did from the time Ben had seen her. She now had long black hair tied into a ponytail, as well as a new set of clothes which consisted of a purple shirt underneath a black vest while wearing black pants and purple shoes. She still retained her purple glasses and purple hairclip though.

"Yup, that's me!" Sunny exclaimed happily. She then followed with a giggle and disposing of her cloak to the ground. "Now then…let's see what we got here. One Ben Tennyson with no power on his Omnitrix and a poor Gwendolyn knockoff right in front of me. This is going to be so easy I feel so excited just thinking about it."

"That's enough!" Ben shouted angrily. He didn't like the tone Sunny used regarding Eunice. It was offensive to him. "Eunice isn't a knockoff like you've played yourself to be by dressing like Gwen! I'm not going to let someone like you –"

"It's okay, Ben." Eunice interrupted Ben. She had a soft tone to her voice before placing her hand on his shoulder and getting his attention. But rather than seem offended, she just smiled at him. "You have no idea how nice it is to hear you defend me. But please…stay out of this. I can handle this myself."

"Eunice…" Ben muttered.

"Awww…So cute! Not!" Sunny exclaimed. Of course, she caught their attention before she light up her arms up with balls of mana energy. "Now then…is any of you going to step up? I've been itching for a fight for a long time now."

"I'll take you on." Eunice said. Her action surprised Ben, who was about to speak against it. However, the blonde turned her head to him and smiled. "Let me do this. I'll be fine." She said.

"Okay…I trust you." Ben replied. And then he smirked. "Kick her butt, okay? I'll be cheering you on."

Eunice nodded with a smile in response. She really appreciated it that Ben was supporting her. Now she felt no doubt about it, especially as she walked forward before standing still to face Sunny.

"So you're Sunny. I've heard about you a bit." Eunice said. Her focus also seemed to be entirely on the Anodite as she became determined. "It's true that my existence is thanks Gwendolyn, but you should keep this in mind. Just because you're related to them, it doesn't mean I'm going to hold back against you."

With that said, Eunice began to power up. The lightening charges Ben had witnessed inside the Imperial Castle began to happen again to Eunice, but with a greater amount. Her eyes, thus, began to also charge lightning, however none of that intimidated Sunny.

"Geez, you're one to talk." Sunny said with a smirk. "But I got to say, I've been looking forward to beating Gwen. But since she's not here, I guess her copy would do just nice for now, don't you think…? And by the way, I've gotten some pointers in martial arts and I'm dying to trying them out."

"Funny…I know some moves too." Eunice said sarcastically. Then she stated strongly. "I'm not going to let you hurt Ben."

"Hmph! Then you better beat me, if you can."

With that said, the Anodite powered up. Her power level began to rise as a pink aura formed all over her body. This also went for her eyes, which became entirely pink as her grin widened due to the excitement of a fight.

Now there was no stopping them. Both Eunice and Sunny were engaged in a standoff as they allowed their power levels to increase. Of course, this had a repercussion on their surroundings as their light grew and became almost blinding. In fact, even the ground underneath them began to tear apart just by their level of power. But none of that mattered to them. Their main focus was on one another, and sooner or later they would combat each other with a chance that only one of them would walk out of it alive.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **That's where I'm going to end for now. Great chapter, right? If you agree then please let me know what you think of it in the reviews. Also be sure to follow and favorite this fanfiction if you haven't. More interesting stuffs are coming. Eunice will be very involved in this fanfiction.**

 **If you don't remember who Eunice is, let me explain. She appeared in Ben10: Ultimate Alien from a crashed space ship. There, she quickly befriended Kevin, Gwen and Ben and was under the radar of a bounty hunter (don't remember his name). Later it was revealed that she was the earliest prototype to the Omnitrix called the Unitrix, but unlike the Omnitrix she doesn't transform although she can copy the power of any being creature she touches for her own advantage, though with a time limit. Anyway, she appeared again in Ultimate Alien and was involved with a DNAlien crisis on Spidermonkey's home planet. She was also revealed to be helping Azmuth with Primus (the original DNA storage of the original Omnitrix and the Ultimatrix). Her last appearance was in a cameo in Omniverse which involved a dumb intergalactic game and that sorry excuse of a romance between Kai and Ben.**

 **Anyway, Eunice's current look is based on that Omniverse cameo of hers. I am thinking about changing it since it's clearly not for combat, but I could be wrong. As for Sunny, I've given her a look similar to Gwen in Ultimate Alien.**

 **Now some of you may be wondering how Eunice can possess the power of a Teigu. Well that's because a Teigu is a weapon created from slayed Super S Class Danger Beasts. And considering they have been instances where a few have shown to be alive (such as the case of Incursio), it confirms that they still have DNA despite being weapons.**

 **One more thing, to those who are curious, I want to make this clear. Yes, the Ultimatrix will be in this fanfiction. I stated this before in a chapter, but I guess not everyone read it. I don't blame you. My author notes are long. Anyway, expect to see it show up in a few chapters from now.**

 **Thank you all for your supports. It has been wonderful hearing your thoughts. Please keep up the support.**


	25. Girl Power, Anger and Ben's decision?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

So it looks like things are going to heat up. Some of the fights here will be from another anime while others will be from me. Don't worry, they'll be interesting. Also, this chapter will have some parts from a chapter in the manga, so look forward to that.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.

 **Chapter 25: Girl Power, Tatsumi's anger and…Ben's decision?**

A battle unlike most seen in the Capital was happening. This time it was between two combatants from a different world. But while the two were powerful, the scene in their environment, the Imperial compound, was one of intensity and adrenaline rushing. Thus, the skies were filled with lightning bolts and sounds of thunder booming.

As for the two combatants, they were formidable in their own way. So if one knew about them, it would be best not to cross their path. Eunice, the first prototype of the Omnitrix and possessing a human body currently had the control of lightning. Meanwhile, there was Sunny, an alien from a race of powerful aliens that possessed a huge variety of powers in the form of mana aka life force.

Presently, Ben watched the two combatants go at each other. He wanted to join in and assist Eunice, but the Omnitrix was still recharging. As such, the only thing he could do was watch closely as both Eunice and Sunny engaged in battle with one another. It didn't help that numerous bolts of lightning continued to hit the ground aimlessly though.

Anyway, back at the battle, Sunny was on the defense. By that, she was flying back with a smirk on her face and a delighted look in her eyes as she saw Eunice flying towards her in a blue aura of lightning. So besides the fact that Eunice was drawing close, she noticed the girl had her lightning powered fist ready for a punch.

However, Sunny was quicker. She simply clapped her hands together and let out a burst of mana energy. As a result, both Eunice and the Anodite were sent flying back until they then landed on their feet and skidding back for a few seconds. Now they were just mere distance from each other.

That didn't stop Eunice though. She could still see Sunny in her direction. Thus, the girl's body began to charge up lightning again before she raised her open hand at Sunny, ready to shoot her. However, Sunny decided then to avoid it. This time she moved in front of Ben, facing the girl and watching for what she'll do.

The scene didn't go well for Eunice. She could see that if she fired, she might end up hitting Ben. As such, to avoid that, she swiftly clutched her hand into a fist before flying towards Sunny with the intention to punch her.

"Ben, move!" Eunice warned.

Ben immediately complied. He jumped to his right just in time and saw Eunice immediately attacked Sunny with rapid punches at every part of the Anodite's upper body. Unfortunately, none of the attacks made contact with the psychotic Anodite as she swiftly dodged all of them with a smirk still on her face. This was because to her, even though Eunice's punches were lightning fast, she was faster.

"Come on, Eunice! You got to try faster!" Sunny mocked openly. At the same time she was still dodging Eunice's punches. "Or is it possible that you want me to hurt your precious Ben? Face it, there's no way that you can touch me!"

Eunice said nothing back. She was frustrated, but at the same time knew better than to give in to the Anodite's mockery. But still, that didn't stop Sunny from attempting a backhanded attack at the Unitrix.

Now usually, the Anodite's attack should make contact. Her species was one of the most powerful beings in her universe. However, once she tried to hit Eunice, the blonde girl surprisingly ducked from the attack and came right back up with a lightning charged uppercut.

Sunny's eyes widened in mild shock. Eunice had surprisingly become faster than usual. As a result, there was little time for the Anodite to react when Eunice's fist was closing in for her face. But then all that changed in a blink of an eye. Sunny swiftly brought her leg up and kicked her knee against Eunice's arm. Then, while the blonde was in shock, she brought up her other leg and used that knee to kick the girl's head with great force.

Eunice had no chance to react. The blow she took from Sunny was so strong that her entire body went into the ground. At the same time, the surrounding area shook while Ben was shocked and fearful for the worse.

"Eunice, get out of there!" Ben shouted.

"Too late, Benny!" Sunny said.

With that, the Anodite flew up. She gave herself a good look of the blonde in the ground before making a nosedive towards her with both fists covered in a ball of mana.

"IT'S BEEN REAL, GWEN-COPY! BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO DIE!"

Eunice thought otherwise. Her body may be in the ground, but she still had a good sense of her surroundings. As such, a huge blast of lightning suddenly came directly down for her and Sunny, with the latter then expressing shock at it. But then she was able to get out of the way, though not in the best way. She ended up crashing to the ground and tumbling until then coming to a stop with dirt all over her body.

Of course, the mild setback didn't deter Sunny. She got back on her feet with a small scowl on her face while the lightning crashed down on Eunice. Hence, the Anodite watched as Eunice returned back to her feet before the lightning died down, revealing the blonde girl to be in perfect shape with her body and eyes radiating lightning.

Sunny didn't like the sight she was seeing. It annoyed her, especially when she realized what had happened.

' _That bitch! She actually allowed me to knock her into the ground so she could use a surprise attack!'_ Sunny thought angrily. _'There's no doubt about it…This girl has Gwen's smarts! It pisses me off!'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back with Night Raid, the assassin group and their boss were standing in front of Satou's house. With them was Aria and the owner of the house as they stood there, witnessing the dark clouds above the Capital with curiosity and confusion amongst them.

"That's been going off for some time now." Leone said observantly. Then she turned to Najenda. "No offense, boss, but I don't see why I couldn't have been sent to observe what's going on in the Capital. I'm better than that pervert Lubbock."

"I have my reason." Najenda said. Her face was still at the clouds as she continued. "For one, you tend to lose focus if you see a fight. If this concerns Ben Tennyson, I have my doubts that you'll stay focused on just observing."

Leone growled and looked away. As much as she hated to admit it, Najenda was right especially when it came to her feelings with Ben. If she saw that the young man was in trouble, she'll like to engage in the fight whether she was under orders or not. Of course, her expression caught Aria's attention who felt mixed about it.

Anyway, Lubbock returned. He looked tired though, as the speed he took lasted until he stood before Najenda and panting.

"S…Sorry I'm late, Najenda-san." Lubbock said.

"That's fine. Report what you found." Najenda ordered.

"Right." Lubbock replied. He then took a deep breath and felt better. "The Capital's on lockdown."

Everyone was shocked to hear this. Like Najenda, they watched the green haired assassin as he stood before everyone.

"What?! How?!" Mine was shocked.

Akame was calm about it though. However, deep down, she was unsettled as she said her own. "This is unexpected. Even with our activities, the Capital has never been on lockdown." Akame stated in depth.

"I know right." Leone said in agreement. From there, she crossed her arms under her chest. "I don't like it, but it sounds like it has to do with Ben. No one's heard from him since he went off to save that kid."

"Ieyasu…" Tatsumi muttered. Unlike his comrades, he was visibly worried as he stared at the Capital's direction. "It's been hours now…I wonder if he's okay."

No one said anything in response. Though they didn't show it, it was obviously clear that they knew the fate of the spiky haired teen. In fact, Aria even gave Mine a concerned look, to which the pink haired girl sadly turned away from.

"Not one word…" Mine warned.

Bulat chose that moment to speak. For some time now he had been silent until a thought came to mind.

"That blue energy ball in the sky some time ago was suspicious. That has to be the work of a Teigu." He said. Then with a serious look in his eyes, he added. "There is no doubt that the young man, Tennyson, has engaged someone with a powerful Teigu. And let's not forget that there were large bolts of lightning in the sky and even now."

"Then it must be him." Satou suddenly spoke up. His voice immediately made everyone to turn to him. "That raw display of lightning is definitely the work of the Grand General Budo."

Again, everyone was shocked. However, while others could control their emotion, they were some that were now curious about the older man who stood amongst them. Thus, Leone turned to Satou with a suspicious look.

"Oi, old man, how do you know about that?" She asked.

"How do I know?" Satou practically questioned. He didn't seem like he was lying though. However, it also didn't seem like he was going to answer with that small smile on his face. "Let's just say…I've seen the inner workings of the empire. That's how I got to know of your boss, Najenda."

"Najenda…?" Lubbock was surprised.

"The battle's still going on." Tatsumi said with concern. Unlike the others, his attention wasn't on the mystery of Satou. But it did divert everyone's attention from the topic.

Najenda turned back to Lubbock. "Were you able to find a way into the Capital?" She asked.

"Not really." Lubbock replied with disappointment. A part of him wanted to ask about the boss's connection with Satou, but he continued anyway. "I tried looking for a known opening, but right now every path has Imperial troops going about. I'm willing to bet it's so no one like the revolutionary army takes advantage of the crisis."

"A crisis huh." Najenda muttered.

Once again, Satou spoke up. His mind had thought about the event of the day and came to a hypothesis.

"Pardon me, Najenda, but I think I may have come to an obvious conclusion."

Najenda turned to Satou. "Proceed." She said.

Satou continued. "The last I saw of Ben was when he rushed off to the battle your two subordinates lost. I believe now that it's possible he engaged the Imperial officer and her Teigu and won. But by doing so, somehow it caught the attention of General Budo. There was already news around the Capital weeks ago that he had been ordered by the emperor to eliminate Tennyson."

"I see." Najenda noted.

"Then that means Ieyasu is fine, right?" Tatsumi expressed. His face seemed hopeful as he looked to Satou. "I mean, this is Ben we're talking about. He wouldn't let any harm to anyone especially if he knew that person. Besides…" He turned to Aria, but with a scowl. "He saved someone as worthless as you! He has to have saved Ieyasu!"

"Tatsumi…" Aria muttered with a sad tone. "But what if…he's gone?"

Tatsumi suddenly snapped. He rushed over to Aria and punched her directly at the right cheek with a strong blow. As such, the blonde cried out from the pain and fell to the ground on her side.

"Don't you dare talk about Ieyasu that way!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Isn't it enough that you took Sayo away from us?!"

"I…I'm sorry." Aria said. She was now scared as she eyed the angry teen.

However, the apology had the opposite effect. Tatsumi became furious just by hearing Aria's words. Hence, the teen moved forward to deal with her, but was stopped when Bulat suddenly lifted him by the back of his coat and threw him to the ground hard, surprising both the girl and him.

"Bro…you're saving her?!" Tatsumi shouted. He was both shocked and even felt betrayed at what he believed.

"Stop acting like a child, Tatsumi! Compose yourself!" Bulat stated angrily. At the same time, his voice was higher and more offensive to the point that it shocked Tatsumi. This was a side of the homosexual assassin that he never seen before. Anyway, the assassin continued. "When did anyone ever say that we couldn't be harmed or killed?! Both you and Ieyasu knew any of that could happen when you agreed to join us!

"Bro…" Tatsumi muttered. He was lost at words as all he could do was stared at Bulat.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Numerous bolts of lightning rained on the ground with each second becoming intense. Eunice and Sunny were still engaged in their battle, except now Eunice seemed to be advancing against the Anodite who had to move out of the way constantly from the lightning bursting out of the dark clouds.

Sunny didn't like this at all. She could handle the scene, but to be on the retreat was never her thing. Also, the fact that she could heal herself didn't mean she liked taking in pain unless it would result in her winning. As such, the moment the lightning attacks ended, she flew straight at Eunice with a loud cry. Eunice did the same, and so the two of them clashed.

The clash was devastating. The destruction that resulted from Eunice and Sunny was enough to send a feedback all over the area. Thus, the ground tore apart and a huge blast of wind went everywhere, threatening to push back anyone. That even meant for Imperial guards who came to the scene, and Ben who couldn't fight against it. As for other damages, the outer walls of the Imperial Castle showed a lot of cracks while some of Eunice's lightning bounced off to different sides and caused more destruction.

"Such power…" Ben muttered. He struggled to get back on his feet before observing what was before him. Eunice and Sunny were still engaging with each other in battle, but in a hand-to-hand combat. _'They're still able to go against each other despite that. I mean…I could do the same with my aliens, but Eunice…To think she's this fierce in a battle is alarming. Just how did she learn all this in her time with Azmuth?'_

Back at the fight, much was still going on. Sunny was easily able to keep up with Eunice who was more on the offense than in defense. The two of them were amazingly fast, so anyone outside the battle would only see their movements as a blur.

Anyway, Sunny saw an opening. She used it as a chance to move her right arm forward and open her hand to blast Eunice at the face. But then, to her surprise, Eunice backhanded that arm by the wrist, which caused her to blast her mana at somewhere else. Thus, the next thing the Anodite knew was Eunice using that same hand to smack her at the face as a fist.

However, the blonde girl wasn't done. No, if anything, she began to swiftly use her lightning power to punch Sunny at certain parts of her upper body. This went on for a few seconds before Sunny was sent skidding back and then coming to a stop.

Now Sunny was pissed off.

"Enough of this! I'll just wipe out your entire existence!" Sunny shouted.

With that said, the Anodite reacted. She threw both her hands to the ground and did something. That something resulted in a pink circle appearing underneath Eunice, who became surprised by it. However, nothing could be done when that circle shot out a huge beam of pink mana energy from below like an erupting geyser that instantly engulfed Eunice from sight.

"Eunice!" Ben shouted in shock.

Sunny laughed in response. The mana beam which engulfed Eunice died down to reveal a huge hole in the ground. However, Sunny then noticed something heading towards her from behind and reacted. Hence, the Anodite turned back the unknown opponent and caught the person's arms by the wrists, revealing the person to be Eunice herself.

"Did you really think that'll work?!" Sunny exclaimed. A wide grin was now on her face before her eyes began to glow pink. "If you're smart enough, then keep this in mind! I'm a fucking Anodite! I can sense your presence no matter how much you try to hide it! Now take this like a good little girl and die!"

Eunice was unfazed by Sunny. She had heard the girl, but she had her own deduction. As such, she suddenly turned her arms into pure lightning energy to get out of the girl's grip. Then, before the Anodite could react, she materialized them back to normal and grabbed the girl's wrists firmly.

"I'm well aware of your species! But there's one thing you forgot…" Sunny stated confidently. From there, she suddenly pulled the girl's arms to her and sent her knee up against the Anodite's chin. "…you're too arrogant and overconfident!"

Sunny's eyes beam ended up shooting into the sky instead. She was about to react, but Eunice suddenly kicked her off her feet. From there, while she was in mid-air, Eunice suddenly kicked the girl twice with lightning power, sending her flying through the Imperial compound's wall.

"Wow! Nice one, Eunice!" Ben cheered for the girl.

Back at Sunny, the Anodite was unfazed. Sure the attack hurt, but she was a quick healer. But then when she looked up, she saw Eunice flying straight down for her in a nosedive.

"That doesn't look good." Sunny noted.

With that said the Anodite teleported and just in time. Eunice came right down on the ground with a punch so devastating that the lightning from her fist instantly exploded the place.

Eunice didn't like the result though. She expressed mild shook the moment her attack faded, but didn't have the time to move. As a result, several pink tentacles shot out of the very ground she destroyed and tied her up by different parts of her body before lifting her higher in the sky to face a levitating and smirking Sunny.

"Wow, you sure got yourself in a bind." Sunny said, making a pun. She also didn't care about the scowl she was getting from Eunice, especially as she continued. "I'll admit, you're the better martial artist. But who really cares when you can blow someone up like this."

The Anodite then snapped her fingers. With that, the tentacles exploded and Eunice was caught up in the explosion. But then Eunice materialized before Sunny from a form of lightning and caught the Anodite's attention. However, before she could react, Eunice wrapped her arm around the girl's waist and did a very quick and flashy backwards nosedive with Sunny in her grasp.

By the time they reached the ground, Sunny received the blow. Her head and most of her upper body entered the ground before the entire area exploded by lightning power. As a result, what remained was a huge crater and Sunny lying there while Eunice stood just a few feet from her.

"Had enough?" Eunice asked.

Sunny suddenly smirked. Of course, her expression caught Eunice attention but not enough for her to react. That was because the Anodite suddenly disappeared before her eyes before her voice was then heard.

"Not even close! We're just getting started, right?!"

Eunice didn't like the sound of that as she looked around. _'Where is she? I have to hurry and end this battle somehow before I run out of time!'_ She thought.

Just then, the Anodite appeared. She stood in front the girl with a smirk on her face before her intention was revealed. Eunice witnessed as that Sunny suddenly produced more copies of herself until about two dozens of her were now surrounding her.

"What do you think?" asked a certain Anodite. Eunice looked up and saw the real Sunny levitating the air. "I got to say, I got way too angry before, but I guess that's because I hate losing. And then I realized I've not even been using half of my full power! Crazy, right?!"

Eunice said nothing back. She instead just glared at the Anodite before that girl spoke again.

"Not going to say anything? Okay, that's fine. You're no real match for me, so goodbye!"

With that, Sunny snapped her fingers. Her motion then seemed to serve as an order. As such, the copies of the Anodite ran straight at Eunice, giggling maniacally as they closed in her own.

However, Eunice didn't seem to be worried. She could tell they were closing in on her, with some already jumping towards her. Hence, before they got to her, she lifted her arms up and let out a loud cry that was then followed with a massive single attack.

So before anyone could react, Eunice struck first. She caused numerous bolts of lightning to crash down on the real Sunny and her copies, with their screams then following. They were clearly in so much pain, to which Eunice acted up.

By that, Eunice ceased her attack to follow up with another. First, she turned herself into a single form of lightning and flew to Sunny before she could recover. Then, just as the Anodite did recovered, she materialized above her and swung a powerful punch that made contact with the alien's face.

It didn't stop there though. In fact, when Eunice hit Sunny she flew downwards with her fist still on Sunny's face and caused them to hit the ground. However, she didn't stop. She stood in the crater she just created and raised her other arm up to the clouds and created an energy-based conduit with the clouds to her fist.

So before Sunny could react, it was too late. Eunice left out a loud cry as she put up much of her energy into that one power. Thus, in a blink of an eye, she hit Sunny with her overpowered fist and sent the Anodite barging through the ground's surface, hitting anything in her path. This meant that a large trail in the ground was made, with Sunny screaming as she broke through the inner wall and outer wall of the Imperial compound until she was just entirely gone from the area.

Now Eunice was pleased with the result. However, a huge sense of fatigue suddenly came over her and caused her to fall on her arms and knees.

"So…not…trying…that…again." She panted.

"Eunice!" Ben called out.

A sudden flash of green light engulfed Eunice. She still remained the same, however her power and control over lightning was gone. Anyway, a smile formed on her face before she climbed out of the crater to see Ben.

"Ben…" She muttered. Her fatigue from earlier was gone due to her timeout. That meant she found no problem getting out of the destruction she caused and seeing Ben running towards her with a smile on his face.

Unfortunately, not everything went as thought. This was painfully obvious when the huge and winged Danger Beast landed behind Eunice. Hence, in a blink of an eye, it opened its mouth and took Eunice's entire body in one gulp, shocking Ben highly.

"EUNICCCEEEE!" Ben screamed.

Just then, a single individual began to clap in applause. The person sounded excited as no sooner she laughed before stopping. But if that wasn't enough, Ben looked up and was in shock to see the person responsible was Sunny, levitating in a sitting position and wearing her black cloak from before.

"WOHOO! Nice one!" Sunny cried out cheerfully.

"No way…" Ben muttered. His eyes were shocked as he looked at Sunny. "How…?! Just how did you make it here so quick and recover so fast?!"

Sunny grinned in response. "That's simple, Benny. I was never personally in the battle."

"What?!" Ben was shocked.

"What?!" Sunny openly laughed. "Did you honestly think I'll get involved with a Gwendolyn clone?! I'm above that, you know! So I thought that having a clone fight a clone would be much more fun to watch than get involved! And I was right! It was! But sadly it looks like poor Eunice has been eaten!"

Ben growled angrily. It was one thing to trick him and it was another for it to be towards someone he cares about paying for it. He was very angry, probably even more than he was after Ieyasu's death. However, when he tried using the Omnitrix it was still unresponsive, it needed just a little more time to recharge completely.

"Now then…" Sunny said calmly. She then followed that by snapping her fingers and fixing everything in the compound, both inside and within the castle. In other words, every damage Ben and Eunice had made was now fixed like nothing happened.

However, Sunny didn't stop there. Her action also healed up the Imperial guards in the compound and caused them to appear around them, surrounding him.

"Under the great emperor and the kindness of General Esdeath, I have made you well!" Sunny stated with an admirable tone. From there, she 'stood' in the air and directed a finger at Ben. "Now arrest the young intruder and lock him up! Do it before he escapes!"

The Imperial guards immediately complied. They didn't know Sunny's status nor did they find her of any familiarity. But the fact that she had spoken well about the emperor and Esdeath and seemed to be in the best interest of the castle made them charge at Ben with loud voices. Hence, Ben had no way to go except looking around in mild fear as the guards came for him.

Sunny, meanwhile, enjoyed the view. To her, her cousin's failure meant that not only had she defeated him but soon it'll be Gwen's tone. As such, she just watched as the men closed in on the teenage boy.

However, the scene suddenly changed when the Danger Beast cried out in pain making the soldiers turn to look at from the sudden cry. It was odd, as no one had expected it. The beast flailed around a bit in agony before it then puked out a certain someone, who was now flying towards Ben with her arms spread apart.

"Ben, grab on to me! Quick!" Eunice shouted.

"Alright!"

The teen hero did as he was told. There was no time to think on what had just happened. But it was clear on his face that he was relieved to see that Eunice was alive. Anyway, he grabbed on to Eunice's body when she flew towards him and held on when she flew off upwards.

"They're getting away!" Sunny shouted. She was both shocked and angry before turning to the guards. "Are you all blind?! Deploy everything you have! Shoot them down!"

The guards immediately did as told. Those who had guns pointed to Eunice and Ben and opened fire on them. At the same time, the guards on the rooftops and other open sides of the castle shot arrows and cannons at the duo. It was a good thing then that they missed as Eunice flew higher to avoid them while Ben held on tighter so he wouldn't fall off.

"Sorry, Ben! Just hang on!" Eunice shouted.

With that, the duo was able to get away. This also went without saying the shots at them ceased and Sunny was disappointed as she landed on the ground. However, she felt a familiar presence and looked back and saw a path by the Imperial guards made to reveal Esdeath walking towards her.

"You let them get away." Esdeath stated. She didn't seem angered or laidback about it. She just seemed calm and perhaps secretly amused by the occurring events.

"And what if I did?" Sunny questioned. She tilted her head to the general and sweetly smiled at her.

Esdeath returned the expression. "Well…I guess I would say I look forward to the day you actually become serious. Now come…it's time to rest. I've picked out a room for you. We have a long day tomorrow, after all."

"Yay!" Sunny cheerfully shouted. She then turned to the general and followed her from behind, not minding the looks from the Imperial guards.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"The fight…it's over." Tatsumi muttered.

For some time now, Night Raid, Satou and Aria had been watching. They didn't know what or how things were going in the Capital, nor could they have guessed what it was. But now that the nightly skies were returning back to normal, there was only so much they could hope for.

"I wonder…Is Ben alright?" Leone wondered. She was concerned for the teen, with the same for Aria as they just stood quiet.

But then something caught everyone's attention. It was Lubbock, precisely his Teigu which had detected something from its threads.

"The threads picked up some movement!" Lubbock stated urgently.

"How many?" Najenda asked.

"From the looks of it…" He said, looking at his Teigu. "They're…two? They seem to be coming here fast! Odd, I didn't think we'd get any hostility. It's a good thing I set up the threads just in case huh."

"Seems like it." Najenda replied. From there, she looked forward. "Everyone arm yourself. If they seem hostile, eliminate them!"

Every Night Raid member complied. The only exception was Sheele, who was still unconscious, and Mine, who had a cast on her arm. But still, that didn't stop the other members from eyeing the front especially as they heard footsteps.

Fortunately, there was no aggression. That was obvious when Ben and Eunice ran to the open, revealing themselves as they came to a stop, panting.

"Men…I'm so…glad that's…over." Ben panted.

"Yeah…" Eunice agreed.

"Ben!" shouted Aria.

"Huh?"

Ben was suddenly thrown to ground with two bodies on top of him. He was confused about it until he felt a pair of softness on the left side of his chest before noticing Leone and Aria at both of his sides, clearly concerned.

"You're okay! You're really okay!" Aria cried out in joy. At the same time, tears were forming at her eyes as she stared at the teen.

Leone, on the other hand, realized her position. And considering everyone else was looking at them, she quickly got back on her feet and made a soft cough before forcefully pulling Ben back to his feet. Of course, this caused Aria to be knocked to the ground and earning a glare from her at the other blonde.

"Yeah…Nice to know you're back, lad." Leone said composedly. From there, she grinned and forced Ben's head to her busty chest. "By the way, don't go off like that, okay?! You're mine, remember?!"

"I'm what?!" Ben blushed seriously.

Aria begged to defer. She was back on her feet and comically glaring at the older woman with retort. "B-Ben's not yours! He's…He's Ben!"

"Right." Leone said sarcastically.

In response, Aria growled in a low tone. She was obviously jealous and glaring at the woman while her cheeks blushed furiously. Meanwhile, there was Lubbock who couldn't help but feel jealous of Ben's position.

' _He's not even a member of Night Raid, but yet he gets to enjoy Leone's golden treasures!? How is that –"_

Lubbock stopped when he noticed Najenda giving him a look. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling the woman might have guessed what he was thinking. Anyway, Ben tried to talk his way out, but he wasn't been listened to. Fortunately, Eunice tapped Leone's shoulder, but with a scowl on her face when the female assassin and Aria turned to her.

"Let go of Ben, assassin!" She demanded.

Leone took offense to that. It wasn't by the fact that she had been called an assassin; rather it was the tone Eunice used. But still, she let go of Ben, but only to then glare at Eunice with a suspicious look.

"And who are you? I don't recall seeing you around." She said.

Now tension was about to build up between them. However, Ben was able to recover from the previous ordeal and literally get between the two females before something bad happened.

"Wow! Wow! Let's calm down, okay?!"

"Fine." Leone complied.

"Okay." Eunice agreed.

"Good." Ben said with relief. "Now then…" He turned over to Najenda and the others. "…can someone fill me in on why Night Raid is here?"

Najenda stepped forward with a somewhat firm look. Now she stood a few feet from Ben. "We came here to take Sheele and Mine away. Now then, there are questions I wish to ask if you don't mind."

"Oh…uh…" Ben muttered with a troubled look. Truth be told, he didn't want to talk about the night. So to break free, he turned to Eunice with relief and gestured to her. "Hey, everyone! I don't think you've met my friend Eunice. She's a good friend from my earth."

"Your earth?" Leone was surprised.

Everyone else was also surprised. It was true that her presence was curious-worthy, but the fact she's from Ben's world was totally unexpected. Ben didn't pay attention to the reaction though, as he had expected such. Thus, he turned to Eunice and gestured to Leone.

"Eunice, this –"

"You don't need to introduce me to them, Ben. I'm well aware of their identity." Eunice interrupted.

Ben was a bit taken aback by this. He never recalled a time that Eunice knew about them. But then the girl's tone changed when she turned to each Night Raid member with a hateful look.

"Leone, Akame, Lubbock, Mine, Bulat, Tatsumi, and their boss, Najenda; Together they're the assassin group, Night Raid." She stated. From there she glared directly at Akame. "I can't say I'm happy to actually be in their presence though."

Akame didn't like the sound of her tone. Now while it was true, she could ignore some things, there was something dangerous from Eunice tone. In fact, just about everyone felt it when Eunice had spoken. As a result, Akame responded by grabbing the hilt of Murasame.

Fortunately, Ben reacted by getting in front of Eunice and grabbing her shoulder even though he felt awkward.

"Okay…uh…you forgot Aira and Satou." He said.

"I know them too." Eunice stated. She didn't break away her gaze from Akame as she continued. "I approve of Satou since he seems to be in for Ben's interest. Not once has he threatened his life unlike you, Akame. For Aria…I think you and her are quite the same."

Akame said nothing back. She did feel a sting to the comment, but made no other reaction except pulling out her katana slightly. Ben quickly reacted to the tense moment again. However, he decided to be firm this time.

"That's enough!" Ben shouted, stepping forward. "No one needs to fight here! We're not enemies!" Then he turned to Eunice. "And what's with the attitude, Eunice?! You've only been here barely an hour and already –"

"Ben! Where's Ieyasu!?"

Time suddenly seemed to freeze for Ben upon hearing that. Ieyasu, a teen whom he had failed to save in time had now been brought up. It wasn't to say that Ben forgot about him though. Rather, it was the fact that now he got a flashback of the terrible incident with the boy and felt like his heart sank. But he didn't turn back, especially as he could feel Tatsumi's stare at him as the teen looked at him with a look of fear, concern and worry.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Tatsumi yelled loudly. He didn't like the feeling he was getting. It was terrible and at the same time something he dreaded to feel since Sayo died. It was the fear of losing a friend.

However, Ben didn't turn back to face him. He knew he should, but for a conflicted reason he chose not to. Not surprising, no one said a word despite knowing the fate that had descended on the member of Night Raid. But still that didn't stop Tatsumi from yelling and getting angry.

"What the hell is with you Ben!? Talk to me! Is Ieyasu captured!? If that's the case then we should go and –"

"Ieyasu is gone…" Ben interrupted. His voice was mellow, but at the same time with pain before he finally turned back to Tatsumi with a look of regret. "I'm sorry, Tatsumi, but…I failed…Ieyasu is –"

"No!" Tatsumi rebuked. His heart felt like it sank upon hearing that terrible news. But still the fear on his face was obvious as he stepped backwards. "You-You're kidding, right!? Ieyasu can't be…gone! He…We talked about seeing each other again! I-I mean Mine said –"

"I lied, Tatsumi." Mine finally admitted. The girl refused to look at Tatsumi directly though, as her heart felt heavy and that sad look on her face was present.

"Mine…" Tatsumi muttered. "Wait…y-you lied?"

"Yes…but I'm sorry." Mine said. By now everyone was facing her as she continued. "Tonight was already bad…Sheele is unconscious and we were badly beaten. I just…I just didn't want you to feel bad. Ieyasu was a great guy…He told me he was scared…He told me he didn't want to die, but…but for our sake and you he was really to risk his life so we could all live…So before we departed for the last time, he told me to tell you that…this past month was the best part of his life."

Tatsumi felt like he was lost for words. His mouth still moved though, but it was shaky as he became dreaded at the feeling of lost. He had lost Sayo and now he had lost his other best friend who he felt so happy to be with. In fact, it was in that moment that he had a series of flashbacks from his time with Ieyasu. They hurt, possibly even more than before because now he knew the devastating truth. He would never have those good moments with Ieyasu, nor would he share heartfelt times with him. His friend was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

Finally, the weight of the news sank in entirely. It forced the teen to fall on his arms and knees before tears began forming as he clutched the sand of the earth.

"Dammit, Ieyasu! Why did you have to go!? Just why!?" Tatsumi cried out. "Sayo's gone! What am I supposed to tell the village now!? How can I look at the chief again after everything we told him!? Dammit, we were supposed to fight till we grew old and die together!"

No one said a word to interrupt Tatsumi. Everyone, including Night Raid knew what Tatsumi was going through. Ieyasu was his childhood friend. The two of them had basically gone through so much in the past before meeting Night Raid. So they said nothing, especially as they knew this was a reality Tatsumi had to learn.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean Tatsumi reacted soon after. In fact, if anything, his appearance changed when he rose from the group with the look of a vengeful killer on his face at Mine.

"Where is she!?" Tatsumi yelled angrily. Any sense of reasoning in him was gone as he stood.

"Tatsumi…what do you think you're doing?" Najenda asked. She was standing behind him, but with a composed face as she stared at him. "If you go about seeking revenge, it'll only lead to a body count on our part."

"So what!?" Tatsumi turned to the boss. He was furious as he continued. "What's wrong with going after her!? She took away Ieyasu! She took away our comrade! Someone like her should be –"

Tatsumi was suddenly punched at the cheek. It came as a surprise as no one had expected it, not even Bulat. But still, the most surprising part was the person who did it was Ben with a furious look on his face as he glared at Tatsumi who was knocked to the ground by that hit.

"So what, you say?! I'll tell you what!" Ben yelled angrily. He didn't seem like the calm and cocky person he was. In fact, the look on his face was dark and scary. "Going about just to take revenge is dangerous! Ieyasu and Sayo died wanting a future where you can live! Don't you dare spit on what they fought for! If you truly want to honor them then live and fight! That's what Ieyasu believed till the very end!"

Everyone was surprised and breath-taken. Ben's stance on the matter had seemed so sudden and yet just what was needed. Even Tatsumi, who lay on the ground, was shocked and surprised as he stared at Ben.

"Besides…" Ben said. His voice suddenly lowered before he turned away. "…if anyone's to blame for his death…it's me."

With that, the teen hero quietly walked away. He said nothing, as the negative aura coming from him was enough to earn silence from everyone around him. As such, no one stopped him from going into the woods. This even meant for Eunice, who slowly walked to his direction clearly concerned.

However, there was no changing the reality of things. Ieyasu was forever gone and no one could bring him back. Hence, it was in that moment that Mine had a flash of the teen's smiling face until tears fell down her face and another flash of Seryu and her Teigu dog.

' _I knew you were doing your duty.'_ She thought. _'I know this is our punishment. I know all of that but…you killed Ieyasu. And you will be hunting us from now on. If that is how it is…'_

Mine's tone suddenly changed. She had tried to bottle in the tears, but she couldn't do it anymore. Hence, tears went down her cheeks as she angrily stood still with a new objective in mind.

' _SERYU UBIQUITOS!_ _I WILL CERTAINLY TAKE YOU DOWN!'_

Back at the others, it was just Night Raid and Aria and Satou standing left. They had been silent since the teen hero left. Thus, Najenda took that chance to break the ice and turn to her subordinates.

"That was…unexpected." Najenda said calmly. She got everyone's attention upon saying that. However, before bringing up what's in mind, she turned to Satou. "Satou, do you mind taking the girl with you inside? I need to talk with –"

"Understood." Satou said.

With that, the man went over to Aria. He grabbed her by the wrist without saying anything and pulled her with him. It was a good thing then that Aria didn't object, due to seeing that she really had to go. But still, her concern was deeply on Ben even as Satou took her inside the house and closed the door behind him. Not long after, everyone stood before Najenda who then spoke.

"Ieyasu's death was certainly not pointless." Najenda said calmly. Her mechanical arm was forward when she said this. "The empire will finally understand that it takes a Teigu to fight a Teigu. And now they will bring in more Teigu users to fight for them. But what this means for us is that the chances to collect more Teigu will increase! Also, this is the beginning of a life or death struggle, Tatsumi!"

Tatsumi said nothing, other than just look seriously at the older woman.

_(LINE BREAK)_

"Ben! Ben!" Eunice called out.

A few minutes had passed since Ben had left the group. However, the fact that the blonde couldn't find him despite following him almost as soon as he left began to make her worry. Fortunately, she noticed the backside of a certain teen hero sitting on a boulder. It gave her relief as she came closer.

"There you are. I was so worried." Eunice said.

"Oh… Sorry about that." Ben apologized. He didn't turn to face her though. Instead he had this wondering look on his face as he stared at the nightly sky and stars. "Eunice…do you regret coming here?" He asked. "This world…I mean if you regret coming here. I don't know the detail, but I can tell Azmuth assigned you here, right?"

Eunice was hesitant. Ben was right on that intuition. However, Eunice was still worried for the teen. Thus, she took a step forward.

"Ben…is this about earlier?" Eunice asked. She then waited for a few seconds for a response, but once she didn't get it she continued. "Look…what happened with that boy… Ieyasu… It isn't your fault. This world is too messed up for –"

"I know, I know. This world is not for someone like me." Ben interrupted. He then sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude to you… It's just that, what happened with Ieyasu was really my fault. I know I'm bound to a time limit until I get Master Control, but that doesn't change the fact that I've made some mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

"Leaving Ieyasu and Tatsumi to Night Raid, trusting Seryu to do the right thing and overusing the Omnitrix's power just when it could've been used to save Ieyasu." Ben answered. "If I hadn't…No, if I did actually thought things through from that night at Aria's shed I would've been able to save Ieyasu. Now he's gone and Sheele and that girl, Mine, were badly hurt. And now I know why."

"Huh?" Eunice was confused. At the same time, she was curious on what Ben meant.

So in that moment, Ben stood up. He now had a resolve, as well as a determination on his face as the moonlight touched it. As such, he wasted no time turning to Eunice with that look on his face and the wind blowing his hair lightly.

"For the sake of Ieyasu and Sayo, and to prevent anyone from dying this way while also ensuring an actual change to this mad world, I'm going to accept the alliance with Night Raid and move in with them." He stated.

"What!? No!" Eunice objected. She was shocked at the very decision as she stepped forward.  
"Ben, that's crazy! You're talking about changing a mad world by joining some murderous group!"

"That the thing, I know that." Ben replied. He seemed calm on the matter. "What Night Raid has done is unforgiveable. I think even they know that even though they keep doing it, But…" His fist tightened. "…ever since I left those two that night, I've been fighting on my own. Even when I fought them and Night Raid, it wasn't easy since I had to protect Aria. And the fact that my activities in the Capital haven't done much to change the people's lives adds to that burden. That is why…I have to have them on my side. Their methods are off by far, but with them as partners and backup I won't make the same mistake. And best of all, I'll be able to keep watch of Tatsumi. I'm not going to let him die like his friends. You should understand, Eunice. If you weren't there, right now I would be in some dark and cold cell and constantly visited by Sunny just for her psychotic enjoyment. It made me realize that I need backup…even if what they do isn't the best."

"But I'm here!" Eunice yelled. She clearly didn't like Ben's decision, not a single bit. So in objection, she desperately gestured to herself and shouted at the teen. "What about me!? I can be your backup! You don't have to be alone, Ben! I-I'll protect you!"

"I'm sorry, but… this is what I have to do." Ben said.

A part of Eunice felt hopeless upon hearing that. Ben was a fair guy, but the fact that he shot down her offer made her deeply sad. Hence, she began to cry, staring at the teen.

Ben didn't like the look though. In fact, if anything, the way the girl acted made him feel sad. The emotion was even on his face even as he walked towards her.

"Please don't be like that, Eunice." Ben said.

"But…But you're leaving me, aren't you?" Eunice questioned. From there, her emotion built up before she looked back at the ground, sobbing. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to be by your side! It's thanks to you and Gwen that I'm alive today! And now you're –"

Eunice was suddenly surprised. She felt a pair of manly arms hug her in what seemed so sudden. But then it made sense when she realized it was Ben, embracing her.

"Ben…?"

"I'm not leaving you." Ben stated softly. "I'll admit. I missed having you around and I even appreciate the fact that you came here and saved me. But this is something I must do. I promise I won't let you be on your own. In exchange… please be by my side and help me with this. I know you don't like Night Raid, but just trust me on this. I won't hold anything back against you if you refuse."

' _Ben…'_ Eunice thought. Her feeling of the matter had changed because she began to understand. It felt like Ben's emotion, his resolve, was being transferred to her as he held on to her. So instead of objecting, she embraced him back.

"Alright…I'll stay with you." She said and smiled.

"Thanks." Ben smiled back.

With that, a new goal in mind was set. None of them knew what would be waiting for them, other than more obstacles and trials that they would face. Fortunately, there was hope for future, and hopefully they would be able to reach such a good time with those people that matter.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **Okay, that's where I'm going to stop for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **By the way, just for information sake I thought I should let you know. Eunice is not a copy of Gwen. While it's true she got her human form thanks to Gwen DNA, the process to receive it actually resulted in her body randomizing it. So yeah, in DNA and on appearance, Eunice and Gwen aren't really the same.**

 **Also, there's something else I want to clarify. When Ben stated he would accept Najenda's proposition, he was referring to the time he talked to her in Night Raid hideout. There, Ben wanted Aria to be trained by Night Raid before accepting the deal. But because Najenda kept it under consideration only and not accept his term, Ben left until she would reply to him. But now things have changed as seen in this chapter and the two previous ones. Ben now knows after so long that he'll need Night Raid's help whether he likes it or not.**

 **On another note, when Ben meets up with Night Raid, he isn't joining them exactly. He's forming an alliance, which by example is kind of like the USA and Soviet Union becoming allies during World War 2. In other words, Ben won't be obligated to do work under Najenda. Rather, he'll be working with her on an equal's level.**

 **Honestly, I never did think Ben would just join an assassin group immediately. Both of them have conflicting ideologies, so for him to join them without much of a thought seemed a bit off. But then again I could be wrong. Anyway, that's why I was building up to when he eventually becomes their ally. It was long, but I'm glad we've finally gotten to it.**

 **Thanks for all your reviews. I noticed some of them had questions or something close to that, so I'm going to list them rather than reply to those who reviewed.**

 **Form Omni-Enhanced? (By omega9028)**

Yeah. Honestly, the thought never interested me. And considering Ben is to get the Ultimatrix, I don't think I'll be able to get the Omni-enhanced aliens from the Ben10 Reboot. Keep in mind that many readers are connected with the ultimates than the Omni-Enhanced aliens since those forms are more powerful than the Omni-Enhanced aliens.

 **So does Azmuth just have the ultimatrix but he's been fixing it or something? (by DragoBlack)**

No. Azmuth was completely against the Ultimates since he saw them as too violent and begging for trouble. So he had it destroyed sometime after Ultimate Alien. But Ben will get the ultimates back in a different way and very soon.

 **Is Sunny aligned with the Empire or not? (By New Universe Returns)**

Though this wasn't the exact question the reviewer asked, I thought it should still be credited to the person since it's close to such question. Anyway, Sunny is aligned with the Empire but only through Esdeath. However, do not be fooled by her 'loyalty'. She's still crazy and wants to have 'fun'. That is why she joined Esdeath and will be part of her group, the Jaegers.

 **When are you going to do the chapter where Ben saves that girl spear from Esdeath's men, The Three Beasts? (By BrRosabal22)**

Very soon. In fact this review reminded me that we've not touched on the manga for a while now. I originally planned on having Ben 10,000 show up soon to reveal some things, but for the sake of having Ben save spear, I'll push that idea to another time.

 **_(Questions end)_**

 **Thank you once again for your reviews and other means of support. Even though I didn't mention some others, please keep in mind that I do appreciate the reviews a lot. Anyway, I'll be getting to that Generator Rex and Attack on Titan fanfic crossover, so look forward to that.**

 **Until next time, stay cool!**


	26. Hideout, Imperial Castle and The Beasts?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

I got some good news! I've started the fanfiction for Generator Rex and Attack on Titan! Go check it out! It's called Generator Rex: Stuck in the World of Titans!

Now then, about this fanfiction, I should let you know that there won't be any action in this. But that isn't to say that this chapter won't be so interesting. And let's face it we can all agree that with all the fights in the previous chapters, this non-action chapter was needed.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 26: The hideout, The Imperial Castle and…The Three Beasts?**

A night that seemed so long and trivial finally came to an end. Now it was morning as the sun rose from the horizon in the early hours of the day. Within Night Raid, the members of the infamous group of assassins were about in their own daily businesses. However, it didn't feel the same, especially for those who could act like nothing happened.

Twenty-four hours hadn't even passed yet since Ieyasu had died. Sheele was still in a coma-like state while Ben was secluded in a room with the young woman. As for Aria, she stood by the entrance of the room, outside and with a frown on her face.

And then there was Eunice. The humanoid version of the Unitrix was in the kitchen, seated at the dining table. There, she stood with a plate of soup before her while three of Night Raid's members were there. Tatsumi was in charge of cooking today while Akame sat at the other side of the dining table with Mine across her.

Presently, Akame was trying to feed Mine. The pink haired girl's right arm was in a cast so it made sense for the assassin to do such.

"Mine."

"Leave me alone, Akame. I can eat on my own, you know. I still have my good arm." Mine refused.

"I'm trying to help." Akame said. She was clearly concerned and worried for her friend.

Fortunately, Mine immediately felt some guilt and accepted.

"Alright, alright." She said and opened her mouth.

Though Tatsumi could not see the scene, he could hear it. It had only been yesterday since his best friend had been killed and one of the few people to show him kindness was in a coma-like state. It made him think.

' _Ieyasu has been killed and Sheele is quiet, but yet Akame is so calm and indifferent about it.'_ Tatsumi thought deeply. _'And the one who did all that…I haven't even seen her face. If I had, what would it have been like? And then…there's the other girl at the table.'_

Tatsumi tilted his head slightly to Eunice direction. So far the girl was quiet as she sipped on the soup with no emotion.

' _She's from Ben's world.'_ Tatsumi continued to think. _'Since last night she hasn't talked to anyone besides Ben. I'm pretty sure Ben is the one who told her to come out here and get some breakfast. But now that I think about her…why does she hate us? Does she know about the things we do? And also…what can she do since she's from Ben's world.'_

"I'm done." Eunice announced with a low tone.

Tatsumi turned to her in response, with the same for Akame and Mine. However, the girl said nothing else after that. Instead she just stood up and walked out of the kitchen. Leone then showed up and knocked at the open door.

"Oi! Tatsumi! Time to go! The boss got a special mission for the both us!" She announced.

"A special mission?" Tatsumi asked, facing Leone's direction.

"Yup! So get out of that apron! I'll brief you on the way!"

Tatsumi blushed in embarrassment and quickly removed the apron. At the same time, Mine couldn't help laugh while Akame just watched with a small smile on her face.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Eunice made her way to the room Ben was in. Throughout that time she had no other focus besides meeting up with the teen hero. In fact, even the thought of Night Raid never came across her mind despite eating in the presence of some of their team member's. As she drew close to the room's door she saw Aria standing there quiet until she saw her.

"You're here." Aria said.

"Yes, I am." Eunice replied. She came to a stop in front of the door and faced it. "Is Ben still there?" She asked.

"Yes." Aria answered. Her voice sounded sound sad upon saying that. But still when she saw Eunice reach for the doorknob she raised her hand upwards to call the girl. However, her voice never came out and she turned away.

Then there was Ben in the room. He sat on a wooden chair, facing Sheele as she lay on the bed unconscious. It was unknown for how long he had been there except at that moment he was bent over with his fingers on the Omnitrix, selecting through the alien playlist.

"Just where are they…?" He questioned with an annoyed tone.

"Ben?"

The teen hero quickly reacted. He removed his fingers and attention from the alien device and turned to the door to see Eunice standing there with the door closed behind her.

"Oh hey, Eunice." Ben greeted with a fake smile. "I hope you got something to eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know."

Eunice frowned sadly. She knew clearly that Ben was faking his expression at they stood there. But that didn't stop her from walking to the guy.

"Ben…when are you going to go out?" Eunice asked. "Ever since the woman was brought here, you've locked yourself in here. Even that girl out front slept in the room she was given before coming to the door again."

"You mean Aria." Ben said. The teen hero then sighed before dropping the act and turning back to Sheele. "I appreciate the concern, but…what happened to Sheele and Ieyasu was my fault. Now I know I shouldn't blame myself for it, but…I keep wondering what things would've been if I had actually stayed with Tatsumi on that very night he was picked up by Night Raid."

Eunice was quiet in response. She was now next to the teen hero and facing the unconscious woman. Then Ben spoke again as he scratched his hand through his brown hair.

"Man…I know Aria would want to be here, but Night Raid still doesn't trust her." Ben said. "I can't blame them. Aria did try to kill Akame the night I fought them."

Again, Eunice said nothing. She wasn't being emotionless though, but rather she felt sympathy as she continued to look at Sheele.

"This woman…Sheele, helped you to get away." Eunice said suddenly. "Her teammates were set to kill you and yet she stood in their way at the last moment. I can see why you feel so much for her."

"Eunice…" Ben called. He then turned to the girl. "I'm sorry if this is off, but…how do you know that? In fact…how do you know about Night Raid? I'm guessing Azmuth has something to do with it."

"He does." Eunice admitted. Then she pointed at the Omnitrix. "You may not know this, but the Omnitrix has an information-gathering feature. Basically, whatever happens to you is reported back to Azmuth."

"That's not right." Ben replied. From there a clear annoyance showed on his face. "I mean, I get Azmuth wants to keep tabs of me, but it's not cool to invade my privacy like that. Just who knows how long he has been listening on me?"

"A month now."

"Huh?"

"The feature has been activated for only a month." Eunice said, elaborating. "It's true the feature is there, but it hasn't been active until sometime you've spent in this world. Azmuth won't admit it, but it's clear he's concerned about you, so don't be angry at him."

Ben smiled a bit. "Yeah…I guess I shouldn't." He said. "So can you remove the feature now? I really don't feel comfortable with it."

Eunice shook her head in response. From there she knelt down on one knee and held Ben's hand with one hand and her other hand on the Omnitrix.

"I can't remove the feature. Azmuth didn't inform me of that extent of the Omnitrix. But I can turn it off." Eunice said.

The girl then did some taps on the sides of the Omnitrix. In response the alien device beeped and she stood up. "There, the feature is turned off."

"Nice." Ben smiled at the Omnitrix device. Then he got an idea and turned to Eunice. "Hey, by any chance you know the Master Control? I mean I don't need it now, but it would really be cool to know."

Eunice smiled and giggled in response. "Nice try, Ben, but I'm not permitted to give you access to it yet." She said.

Ben's eyes widened in response. "Wait, so you really know?!"

Eunice said nothing in response. Instead she just giggled and walked out of the room. In response Ben went after her, calling her name.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The Capital was known for a lot of things. It was a den of corruption, thievery and psychopaths that needed to be flushed out. But with all that, there was another terrible place within its walls, and that was the torture house.

The torture house was basically what it's referred too. Innocent people who were deemed to be treated in such manner where taken there to suffer in the worse and most gruesome ways possible. In fact, just within its buildings had muscular masked torturers leading naked men and women within a large room where a man's eye was plucked right out of its socket, a woman was tied to a big wheel and stretched beyond her limits and men were tied to big wooden planks with more torturers whipping them severely.

But there was more to the horror. Screams could be heard all around as these torturers continued their work. Some of them wore metal sharp knuckles to punch women in the face while a man was sat on a chair of sharp spikes. But if none of that were enough, there was a giant cauldron where the water was extremely boiled hot while men and women were forced into it, stirred by two torturers at each side with long sticks.

Sadly, there was more. A torturer chopped off the feet of a person and laughed cruelly.

"Come on! Let's see if you can scream even louder!"

And then there was another torturer. His head was exposed as he stood there bald and cruelly laughing as he raised a naked woman by the hair.

"This is what happens to those who oppose the Prime Minister!"

Just then, a single high heel made contact with the ground. The owner was close to the torturers as she then spoke.

"What is this…? Looking at you all is just pathetic." She said in obvious disgust.

Of course, her disrespectful tone wasn't taken likely by the bald guy. As a result, he began to turn to her with a threat.

"What was that? You want to join -"

And then he realized who he was speaking to. The woman behind him was no ordinary woman, she was the General Esdeath and behind her were four individuals. One of them was Sunny; however the others were males in different sizes and dressed in a similar uniform.

"ESDEATH-SAMA!?"

The three torturers there were quick to fall on their hands and knees for forgiveness. They even began to beg for it; however, Esdeath didn't seem to care about it. She just seemed disappointed as she stood there.

"You guys are quite unskilled in the art of torture." She said. "Truly pathetic! For instance, what's with the temperature of this cauldron? If it's this hot, they die too quickly, right?"

The ice queen then reached her hand forward to the cauldron. What happened next after that was the giant thing being covered by ice on its body. Now Esdeath was pleased.

"If you lower the temperature a bit, you can prolong their suffering even further." She said.

Sunny clapped cheerfully in response. She found no wrong in the act nor did she have a disgusted emotion towards it. Hence, she just continued cheering for the woman.

"HAHAHA! Good one!" She shouted.

The torturers were in agreement. They were still bowing before the woman as she admired her hand.

"Yes, ma'am!" One said.

"Thank you for the valuable less, ma'am!" said another.

With that, Esdeath commanded her men and Sunny to leave as she walked away. The kid of the group waved goodbye at the torturers while Sunny giggled at the juvenile's action. Meanwhile, the torturers who bowed before Esdeath rose up, with one of them dreamily admiring Esdeath and her group.

"That's Esdeath-sama for you, such an extreme sadist." He said admirably.

"Yeah…" Agreed another one. "She's a sadist, heart and soul…as well as the males following behind her, The Three Beast Warriors. When the Northern Tribes were executed by being buried alive, it seems they were the most gleeful about carrying out the job. They certainly are a blood thirsty group of animals. I'd love to be invited into their group…."

"But from what I hear, the training for the group is so horrible that almost everyone dies before they can finish…" replied the bald torturer to his friend.

"But what about the girl?" The torturer asked. "I heared that just she alone drove away some Teigu-wielding invaders in Imperial Castle just when they were close to killing the Prime Minister."

"That's just a rumor." The bald torturer said. "However…" He turned to where Sunny was as she walking away with Esdeath. "…if such a thing is true then I wonder what kind of monster she is underneath that smile."

Just then, something unexpected happened. Sunny turned to them with a creepy and menacing smile. But if that wasn't enough, her pupils became pink and shaped like a cat and sent terrifying shivers down the men's spine.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Within the Imperial Palace, Esdeath and Sunny were bowing on one knee before the emperor in the throne room. The Prime Minister was there by the kid's side while Esdeath held her general hat in her hand in full respect of the kid ruler.

"General Esdeath." The emperor called her.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Esdeath responded.

"Your conquest of the Northern Tribes lands was superb! We are prepared to reward you with ten thousand pieces of gold for your effort." He said.

"I am grateful, Your Majesty." Esdeath said gratefully. "We left not a soldier alive in the north."

"Splendid." The Emperor said. "Now then about last night, you have my greatest thanks. What happened then was unexpected. To think that Grand General Budo would fail to rid us of the Teigu user was an unfortunate surprise. If you weren't there, who knows what would've happened to my rule. That is why I've considered stripping General Budo of Grand General and placing you in his place as the Prime Minister has suggested."

Esdeath smirked, with the same for Sunny. With this promotion, General Esdeath now had full control over the imperial army. However, she had other thoughts.

"I appreciate the offer, Your Majesty, but I must decline humbly." General Esdeath said. "My place is where I am. Besides, ridding the palace of the nuisance was all thanks to my new subordinate here. As for General Budo, he is presently in hospital care. I believe he should be allowed to recover and be in your presence to explain his failure."

"Right." The emperor said. Then he looked over to Sunny. "I hear your name is Sunny, correct?"

"That is right, Your Majesty." Sunny said obediently. She was calm and relaxed like Esdeath as she continued. "I must say it is an honor to be at your presence. I apologize that my cousin and that organic Teigu companion were so much trouble to you. I did my best to restore everything as it was."

"You did a good job. Do not worry about it." The emperor replied assuredly. "What you did yesterday is something to earn high praise and a reward. General Esdeath surely chose someone with good intentions."

Sunny snickered in response. Of course, this was out of line as it surprised the emperor and got the Prime Minister and Esdeath strict attention.

"I-I'm sorry." Sunny apologized quickly. "I ask for your forgiveness, Your Majesty."

"You…You're forgiven." The emperor accepted. He was taken aback by her action, but he put it aside and said. "On another note, what is your Teigu and where is it? The power that I heard you displayed doesn't march the records of Teigu we have in our possession."

"I understand." Sunny said respectively. "My Teigu is gives me the power of life energy. Since every living and non-living thing has some form of life in them, I can manipulate them to a certain limit. I used one of its trump card yesterday to fix your humble palace. As for where it is…well it's like…"

Sunny blushed a bit in embarrassment. "It's somewhere…I can't show you…being a girl and all. I'm sorry."

"I-It's fine." The emperor said, taken aback. "If it…is displayed like General Esdeath's tattoo then I won't push you to show it."

"Thank you."

"Right." The emperor said and gulped. In as much as he hated to admit it, he was still a kid and so any topic that seemed sexual was really awkward to him. Fortunately, after a cough, he recovered as he turned his attention to Esdeath. "I apologize for bringing you here despite you recently returned. However, there is work to be done. An atrocious group known as Night Raid has begun running rampant around the Capital; The same for the boy who invaded the Imperial Castle and threatened the stability of my rule. I wish for you to focus on purging this group and him from my city."

"I understand." Esdeath gladly accepted. "I would like to ask one thing of Your Majesty."

"Um…soldiers, is it?" The emperor asked. "You may use as many as you wish."

Esdeath had a different thought in mind. "I have heard that the enemy possesses many Teigu. It takes a Teigu to fight a Teigu, Your Majesty. That is why I would like a seven man group of Teigu users to be assembled. It'll be sufficient for my needs. I will form a group of nothing but Teigu users that will maintain security in the Capital. You have seen how effective Sunny was. Just imagine what good she and the group could do for the empire if you allow it."

"Doesn't the general have a group of Teigu users?" The emperor asked. "Those ones are known as the Three Beasts Warriors, correct? And yet you ask for seven more?"

"Your Majesty." Prime Minister Honest called humbly. "Though I am still hurt physically underneath these luxurious clothes because of the attack of the enemy, I still wish to stand by your side. As such I can honestly say we can rest easy by entrusting this task to General Esdeath."

"Um, if you say as such, then I will not question it." The emperor said in acceptance. "Will you handle the preparation?" He asked Honest.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I will see to it personally."

The emperor sighed with a smile in response. "Then I can be assured that peace shall return to the Capital."

"Makoto, General Esdeath is a very loyal subject." Honest chuckled joyfully.

Unknown to the emperor, however, Honest thought devilishly of Esdeath. The general and the Prime Minister may act well before the emperor, but they were truly different. Thus, Honest in that moment thought of Esdeath's nature as a woman of fighting and the fact that she was a trump card.

Just then, the emperor spoke again top Esdeath.

"I don't believe just giving you gold is a suitable reward for what you've done." He said gladly. "I wish to give you something special. Is there anything you desire? Such as titles or lands?"

Sunny smirked a bit in response. She had her reason for such, especially because she already knew what the general desired. But still that didn't stop the woman from saying her mind.

"There is one thing…If I may dare…"

"What is it…?" The emperor asked, now curious.

And it happened. The woman known for her sadism and hunger for battle smiled a beautiful and womanly smile right in that moment.

"I was thinking it would be nice to try being in love." She said honestly.

Both the emperor and the prime minister were in shock; even Sunny had raised eyebrows from what she just heard. General Esdeath was known for a lot of things throughout the empire. But when it came to love in regards to desiring someone else that was very much unheard of other than her love of combat and torture. However, the shock faded as the emperor delightfully clapped his hands together.

"That right!" He said. "You are of marriageable age, and yet you are not married!"

"However, the general surrounds herself with those who adore her, does she not?" Honest asked.

In response, Esdeath moved her eyes to a suspicious one and said. "Those are 'pets'."

Anyway, now was Sunny's chance. She could see the opening right before her, so she immediately spoke while being the façade of respect to higher authority.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I may know someone who may be qualified for our dear general's heart." She said.

Esdeath looked to the girl with curiosity. The same was with Honest and the emperor as they turned to her as well.

"Is that so? Then tell us." Makoto permitted.

"Thank you." Sunny replied gratefully. "However, the young man I'm about to mention may not be in your best interest. But I can assure you that General Esdeath will be more than enough to change him. I'm talking about my cousin, Ben Tennyson."

Honest and Emperor Makoto were immediately surprised. Of course, Sunny had expected this reaction and more as she stayed in her kneeling pose before the emperor. But still that didn't stop the Prime Minister from showing his objection.

"That's ridiculous!" Honest stated strongly. "General Esdeath cannot let such a man taint her with his rebellious ideals! That mustn't be allowed! Besides, he is a criminal that His Majesty ordered to be dealt with!"

Esdeath didn't like the sound of that. It was true that she accepted the mission, but she didn't approve all that Honest said. Thus, she then said firmly. "Taint me? Sorry, Prime Minister but that is where you're wrong. It is not he that will taint me, but I."

"Besides…" Sunny said with a sly smile. "Esdeath-sama is acknowledged for her ways of swaying men to the right path. What difference shall it make with my cousin?"

"Hmph…! It appears you don't understand then." Esdeath said subtly. Her response, of course, surprised Sunny but the woman said nothing else to her. Instead she reached into between her breasts and pulled out a scroll and faced the emperor. "Witten on this scroll is the things I desire most in a partner. Please inform me if anyone meeting these criteria should appear."

"What if we can't?" Emperor Makoto asked.

"Then…I guess I will make Ben Tennyson a sole candidate." Esdeath answered. "Do not worry, Your Majesty. My loyalty to the empire is eternal."

"I understand." Emperor Makoto replied. "You have done so much for the empire. If you are unable to find someone, you may do as you wish with Ben Tennyson. I have no doubt you will be able to persuade him to your side. But until then we will keep an eye out for someone else."

"Thank you. I appreciate that very much, Your Majesty." Esdeath said.

Sunny mischievously smirked in response. _'All the pieces are falling into place! Foolish human boy! It may not be in my character to be 'underneath' a human, but I guess playing the subordinate is fun! Besides, Esdeath is so interesting that I can't ignore her! Just who knows what she has in store for my eyes to see and witness! So you better pray she remains, little boy!, because once she ceases to entertain me, I'll have no need to let this empire stand! Now…I just need her to fall for Benny! This is going to be good! I know it!'_

Back at Emperor Makoto, his mind went on about Ben. It was true that Ben Tennyson had been so close to ending his rule, however, the fact that the teen backed out of the chance was odd even though Esdeath came sometime after. And now that he was brought up again, the emperor became silent as he recalled the hero's words.

' ** _Well…I can't blame you for hating me. I basically barged into your place and wrecked it. But believe me when I say this…I don't mean you any harm nor am I your enemy…'_**

' _But you attacked Honest.'_ Makoto retorted in his mind. From there his mind flashed to when Honest held by Ben.

' ** _I hate your ass so much! You've done so much wrong that it makes me sick! Heck, I should even make you feel every terrible thing you've done! But you know what?! I won't! I never want to cross the line you have! People like you will never understand that with great power comes great responsibility!'_**

' _What did you mean by that?! The Prime Minister has always been a good man! What kind of man do you think he is?!'_ Makoto thought angrily. _'It's all his fault the Capital is shaken! Him and Night Raid has to –'_

' ** _If you're open for advice, here's one. Get off that high horse of yours and take a look outside. Things are worse than you've been let on.'_**

' _Worse that I've been let on…?'_ Makoto questioned. He found himself confused as he turned to a window. _'Now that I think of it…I've never been outside the Imperial Castle. What does happen outside its walls…I wonder.'_

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Honest suddenly interrupted.

"Huh? Oh…" Emperor Makoto muttered. His thoughts were gone as he turned to Honest with a small sheepish laugh. "Um, sorry. My mind just went back to that night. Sorry, Prime Minister."

"No, it's fine." Honest assured with a smile. "But be cautious and do not let yourself be swayed by his words. A man as dangerous as Ben Tennyson might try to influence you to the wrong path."

"Right!" Emperor Makoto nodded with a smile. "You always know the right thing, Prime Minister. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Your Majesty." Honest smirked. "You have nothing to fear. I can assure you."

With that, Emperor Makoto turned away. However, in a brief moment, he seemed doubtful as he stared back at Esdeath and Sunny. So if one where to take a picture of him and Honest, there would see the Prime Minister standing by the side of a curious Emperor like some kind of devil.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at Night Raid hideout, every member was gathered at the briefing room except Sheele. There, Najenda, the leader of the group of assassin, sat at her usual place while Leone and Tatsumi stood before her closer than the others.

"Good work on the mission, Tatsumi and Leone." Najenda said, congratulating them. "Though taking out those scums with close links with the Prime Minister may not affect the empire massively, there is no doubt that this would benefit the Revolutionary Army well."

"No biggie, boss." Leone said with a smirk. "Just doing our job, right Tatsumi?"

"Yeah." Tatsumi nodded and smiled at the blonde woman.

Earlier in the day, Najenda had sent Tatsumi and Leone to deal with the assassination of two political heads with ties to the Prime Minister. It wasn't a normal request, as it came from the Revolutionary Army themselves. As such, the mission was done swiftly, but not without Tatsumi having to learn something new. A small kid of one of the men had walked in and seen his dead father, so it had an emotional effect on Tatsumi. Fortunately, Leone was able to cheer him up and disclose how she got her Teigu and what she plans to do to the Prime Minister in person.

Anyway, back to the present, there was one thing Tatsumi noticed. Everyone was gathered in the briefing room, including Mine. It wasn't unusual, but considering Mine was meant to be inactive until she was entirely healed made him suspect something. Thus, he looked over to Najenda.

"I know this might be off-putting but…why is everyone here?" Tatsumi asked.

Najenda smirked in response. "You have a good idea, Tatsumi. That shows your training is effective." She said and then crossed her leg over her other leg. "But you are right to suspect something. Mine is here because I believe everyone should know about the reports I just received."

"Okay." Tatsumi said.

From there, Najenda's expression changed. It became serious when she spoke again.

"Last night something big happened in the Capital." She said straightforwardly. "During that time we lacked information of the incident until now. And to tell you all the truth, it might shock you, especially if we put it with what Satou told us last night."

"Satou?" Tatsumi questioned.

Lubbock answered. "You know, that man that was with Ben and Aria. He said that it is possible that Ben defeated the Imperial officer and her organic Teigu before running into Budo, the grand General of the Imperial army."

"Is he that bad?" He asked.

Mine scoffed with a low tone. "That's a dumb question to ask." She said rudely. "But if you must know, Grand General Budo is someone with a powerful twin gauntlet Teigu called Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech. With it, he controls and manipulates lightning and in a way can alter the weather. He's basically a Teigu user none of us can beat singlehandedly."

"And yet Ben did." Najenda disclosed.

Everyone was immediately surprised. It was obvious, as each had their own expression even though a few like Bulat and Akame tried to hide it. However, Najenda wasn't done as she took her cigarette from her mouth and let out a puff of smoke.

"Yesterday was a mess. Even our sources were scattered on the matter until recently." Najenda informed them. "Now we know that Satou was correct. Ben Tennyson fought the Imperial officer called Seryu; however it seems to be after Ieyasu was killed. I can guess from there that he became furious at the scene and went all out of the Imperial officer and her Teigu. From what I've gotten, the damage from the fight is so severe that the areas have been blocked from public views. And yet…that is still the tip of the ice burg from that night."

"Tip of the iceberg?" Bulat questioned subtly. "So there is more?"

"Correct. So much more that it makes me…cautious of the lad we've allied ourselves with." Najenda replied.

For the first time in her life as Night Raid's leader, Najenda actually sounded troubled. It was obvious by her tone then as everyone stood there. But then Lubbock was quick to react by acting laidback about it even though he was worried.

"So the kid took down General Budo, so what? I'm sure all of us together could take that guy on and win." He said.

"That might be true, Lubbock." Najenda replied. "But the fact doesn't remain that Ben Tennyson is powerful. I've even learnt that those who witnessed the battle from a distance spotted whom they could describe as the Prime Minister's son in the midst of the battle. Think about it, if Ben was fighting the Grand General and the Prime Minister's son at the same time and he beat them then that mean he's more powerful than we realized."

"Wasn't that obvious?" Leone asked. "Ben alone caused the Black Scare. But wasn't the Prime Minister's son away on vacation? I didn't know he had a Teigu."

"He does, from what I got." Najenda disclosed. "However, the object in which it is personified is unknown. All we can acknowledge is that he's able to teleport with it. Be sure to add it to the book of Teigu we have. Every information counts no matter how small it is."

"Will do." Leone said.

Najenda then spoke again. "Good. But don't get me wrong on one thing." She said. "Ben Tennyson is dangerous, but he is an ally now. And with that, is a good thing." She said and smirked a bit.

Tatsumi was surprised by this. He understood what Najenda meant, but he couldn't help but feel that way. So before he could think more on it, Najenda revealed something else.

"I must admit that Leone was right." She said.

Leone was confused. "Right? What was I right about?"

"To follow Ben Tennyson." Najenda answered. "It would seem that young Tennyson broke into the Imperial Castle on that same night. That means he was closer than any of us and the Revolutionary Army had to taking down the emperor and Prime Minister."

Everyone was once again surprised. This time even Akame couldn't hide the expression. The Imperial Castle was known to be heavily gathered by well hidden traps and trained Imperial guards. Upon that, there was the fact that the walls of the Capital were so huge that getting into the place without being spotted was nearly impossible. In other words, Ben had achieved something Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army couldn't do from their beginning.

The shock was still there when Akame spoke.

"Does that mean that –"

"Yes." Najenda interjected with a smirk. "Ben Tennyson was close to ending everything right there and then."

Again everyone was shocked. In fact, some of them were even taken aback by the news. Anyway, Najenda continued.

"Reports are vague though and uncertain." Najenda said honestly. "No one knows how Ben got into the Imperial Castle's compound nor could they be certain he approached the Emperor and Prime Minister. However, knowing the kind of power he wields, there's no doubt he came close to bringing the revolution."

"But he didn't, correct?" Mine asked. Her question sounded rhetorical as she became serious.

"Yes." Najenda answered. She then frowned in disappointment. "Tennyson is a powerful ally, but his heroic beliefs likely got in the way."

"Dammit!" Mine shouted in anger. Not surprising her reaction caught everyone's attention. But she didn't care. "I'm sorry, but that's just shit! Are you telling me that we could've been basking in a new era if he actually killed the Prime Minister and the emperor!? Well he can go and shove that ideals up his –"

"Enough!"

Everywhere became quiet. The one who had shouted wasn't Najenda or any of the members of Night Raid. Instead it was Eunice standing not far from everyone with Ben and Aria by herself. But it was clear from her angry face that she didn't approve of what just happened.

"How dare you!?" Eunice yelled angrily. "How dare you –"

The girl was suddenly interrupted. This time it was by a hand on her shoulder, belonging to Ben. The teen hero didn't seem angry or upset. In fact he seemed responsible as he and Eunice exchanged a look before the girl calmed down. Hence, Ben walked forward towards Mine with a straightforward look.

"Eunice and I just showed up, but I couldn't help but ignore what you had to say." He said calmly. "So if I don't know better, I think this is from what happened to you, Sheele and Ieyasu."

Mine gritted her teeth angrily. Ben may be a hero, but that attitude he had was upsetting to her. To the girl, she felt like he was mocking her because of how things turned out. As a result, she walked over to him and slapped him right at the face.

Not surprising, her reaction was unexpected by everyone. Eunice hadn't seen it coming, nor did Night Raid thought it would happen. However, Ben said nothing as he stared at the angry face of Mine with his hand on the cheek the girl had slapped.

"You!" Mine shouted angrily. "Tell me, did you really get to the Prime Minister?! Did you!?"

"Yes…I did."

"Then why didn't you finish him off!?" Mine questioned angrily. "Ever since I was born, I've known how vile and cruel the world had become because of that man! Thanks to him children are orphans, parents are separated and people are left to either starve to death or survive in poverty! And then you had the chance to take him out, only to then blew it because you want to be a hero that bad!? I hate you! This has nothing to do with what happened to Ieyasu! Any of us could die in this line of work, so I can't hold grudges for someone who couldn't react on time!"

Ben was silent to respond. This was expected due to how heavy the air was. However, after Mine said nothing else, the teen hero finally continued.

"I…understand now." Ben said finally. He didn't sound sad or depressed. In fact he seemed sincere. "Everything that has happened was because of my carelessness. Throughout my stay in the Capital I've learnt the harsh realities of things. But I won't put down my moral values just because the empire is that way. I'm not trying to be a hero. It's just the kind of person I am. But I can promise you this. I will do everything I can to make sure that no one dies. That way…when all the craziness is over and a new era of peace and tranquility happens we can smile to a new life ahead."

That was completely unexpected. The words Ben just said were inspiring and positive. In fact, even Mine was taken aback it as her anger slipped away. But if that wasn't enough, Ben smiled at her and brought his left her to her.

"So…what do you say, Mine?" Ben asked.

Mine suddenly had a flashback. This time it was with an older man that resembled an older version of Ben, bringing his hand forward on a little version of her.

"So….what do you say, Mine?" The man asked.

Present day Mine almost cried. For some reason, Ben reminded her of a man she knew a long time ago. But still she acted stubborn and looked away from everyone.

"Geez…why do you have to do all that?" She questioned.

"What?" Ben was confused.

Mine said nothing back. Instead she grabbed his hand in acceptance and looked at him with a small scowl.

"You better keep to your promise!" She said straightly.

Ben smiled. "Don't worry. I will."

Mine smiled back almost immediately. For some reason, Ben sounded different than the teen she had pictured him to be. Meanwhile, Eunice was amazed at the turn of events until a small smile formed on her face.

' _I've been gone from Ben's life for so long that I've forgot the kind of person he is.'_ She thought. _'That girl once threatened his life and yet he was able to make peace with her. Maybe…for his sake, I should make peace with Night Raid since he's willing to give them a chance.'_

With that, Eunice now had a resolve of her own. She watched then as Ben and Mine let go of each other before Najenda spoke.

"I must say, you're kind of outstanding, Tennyson." Najenda said honestly. "Most people would react negatively in a situation like this, and yet you reacted calmly."

"Thanks." Ben replied. "Sorry for keeping the details of last night from you. We are allies now, so I think we should be honest with each other."

"I like that." Najenda smiled. "So is there anything you want to add?"

"Well…" Ben began to say. At the same time he walked over to the woman. "For one, I did actually kick three Teigu users butt and faced the Prime Minister and the Emperor, but then bad news came. Sunny and Esdeath are back."

Najenda was surprised, with the same for everyone else. Esdeath was supposed to be fighting the Northern Tribes for a year at least. In fact, the chances of her coming back had never been something that they would've expected.

"Then I guess the Northern Tribes has fallen to the empire as well." Lubbock acknowledged. He was scared, but not enough to show it.

Then there was Leone, who just growling and punched her fist into her open hand.

"Your bitch cousin!" Leone shouted angrily. "I so want to put my fist into that damn face!"

"Calm down, Leone." Akame cautioned her. "Lubbock, Sheele and Mine weren't there. It would be unwise to fight her since she's a being far stronger than us." Then she turned to Ben. "Tell me, by some chance is she allied with Esdeath?"

"I believe so." Ben answered. He now stood some feet from the female assassin. "I didn't see them meet, but it's no coincidence that Sunny was in the Imperial Castle just a moment after General Esdeath showed up."

"And you didn't fight them?" Akame asked. She was now curious.

"Well…" Ben uttered. Honestly, he didn't want to disclose that the Omnitrix timed out. There was still time for trust to grow.

Fortunately, Eunice came to the rescue. She went over to stand close to Ben while speaking.

"That isn't important." She said. "What is important is the fact that those two will be trouble. I was able to save Ben using Budo's Teigu power, but when I clashed with Sunny I lost. We were just fortunate to get out of there in time."

No one responded to that. It wasn't that they couldn't, but because they were surprised about Eunice. The girl had been silent towards them with clear resent, and now she was talking to them with that attitude of hers seemingly gone.

"So you're finally talking to us?" Mine questioned, clearly offensive to the girl. "And what's this about using Budo's Teigu?"

Najenda and every other Night Raid member were now curious. It was true that Eunice was a mysterious girl, so they all wanted to know about her. Hence, the girl turned to Mine with a more open attitude.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you all. It's just that…I was cautioned to not trust any of you, and that was with evidence with the way you all tried to kill Ben once." She said.

Leone turned to Ben. "You told her about that?" She asked.

"No…She actually knew from the start." Ben revealed.

Now hearing that got everyone even curious. Eunice had come to their world just recent, so she was someone unknown. And then there was the fact that the girl knew about something that happened long ago was something else.

Fortunately, Eunice decided to be honest. Hence, she placed her hand on her chest and turned to the view of everyone.

"My name is Eunice and…I was the first attempt at creating the Omnitrix."

Everyone was immediately surprised to hear that.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at the Imperial Castle, the meeting with the emperor was over. Now Esdeath, Honest and Sunny could be seen walking on their own and discussing.

"As always you do as you please, Prime Minister." Esdeath said.

Presently, the general and Honest were walking side by side. Meanwhile, there was Sunny who was just twirling and playfully following them as they continued to talk.

"Of course, those who don't agree with me are killed." Honest replied. He had a huge gleeful smile on his face that reeked of pride and evil. "When I eat, I eat only the best of meat. What type of thrilling person would it do to fill your desire, though? If you ask me, someone as troubling as the young man yesterday won't meet to it."

"I beg to differ." Sunny interrupted.

With that, both Honest and Esdeath looked to the gap between them and saw Sunny's heading poking there. But before a word was said, the girl playfully twirled in such a way that she was now in front of them, facing them and walking backwards as they continued their walk.

"My cousin is quite the man and he meets all of Esdeath-sama's requirement." She said. Then she brought up one finger. "One, he has an untapped potential that Esdeath-sama can get him to unleash. You saw it right? Last night he didn't kill you because he was too naïve to do such."

Honest growled. He hadn't known the girl for long, but he hated to be reminded of that weak moment. However, Sunny continued as she lifted another finger.

"Two, he's fearless; he may be naïve for having that hero ideology but he certainly is the bravest guy I've know." She said. Then she lifted her third, fourth and fifth finger. "Three, he wasn't raised in the Capital. Four, he's younger than Esdeath-sama, so he can be under her direct control, and five, he has a pure and innocent smiling face that I bet Esdeath-sama would love. Trust me. I've seen it."

Honest looked to Esdeath with annoyance. It wasn't at the woman though, but because of Sunny that he felt that way.

"I see you let your subordinate in on it." Honest said. "I do not disapprove of it. But I assumed she was in the same rank as your Three Beast Warriors."

"Those three are different." Esdeath admitted. Then she smiled slyly. "On my way here, I saw her wondering the forest, and right then and there I felt something I haven't felt from anybody. Raw power. Of course, I had her prove herself in battle and she passed without a doubt. So now I wish her to be part of the team I want to be setup. Believe me when I say this. She may act like this, but she's a lot stronger than you can imagine."

Honest smirked, intrigued. "Then does that mean she's stronger than you?" He asked.

"Hmph! I really don't know." Esdeath smiled back. Then she looked over to Sunny. "But I can say this. I look forward to the day you become serious."

Sunny said nothing other than smile. Of course, she knew what would happen if she became serious in a fight. However, she really didn't say anything before doing a twirl and walking forward with a cheerful smile on her face.

"What an odd one you have there." Honest commented plainly. Then he turned to Esdeath with some interest. "Are you really considering taking the girl's offer?"

"Perhaps." Esdeath answered. "There are not so many men who would be brave to storm the Imperial Palace and succeed. But she's right on some of his requirement. I had seen the way he responded the moment I stood there with him. In his eyes held so much untapped potential, bravery and a sense of innocence that I might admire."

Honest frowned in response. It had been a shock to him that Esdeath was considering love, but now he knew she was serious. Fortunately, Esdeath found his response funny without even turning to face him.

"I can sense you have a deep grudge against him. That's clearly obvious, correct?" She asked.

Honest said nothing. He could see the woman was having fun with his reaction. But he still remained silent as he looked forward, seeing Sunny just walking.

' _The fact that she's showing interest in that young man is very troubling.'_ Honest thought with irritation. _'But still…this is still Esdeath, a woman who lives for war and battles. If she is able to cultivate such a man to be like her then…'_

Honest smirked devilishly. "I don't approve of the brat. But if you are able to get him to return his feelings and ally with the empire then I might look the other way."

Esdeath said nothing in response. It wasn't that she disapproved of his response. No, it was the fact that she had expected him to have a twisted thought. But still, the fact that she was thinking of him made her think of her new interest in love.

"Though it quite strange." She said. Her smirk disappeared as she became uncertain. "Till now, all I have cared about has been carnage and warfare. Even I…don't understand where these feelings have come from."

"Yes, well, as a living being, it's only natural that you would desire the opposite sex, is it not? I actually thought you were a little slow in that area. " Honest replied. _'Though talking about things like love does not suit you.'_ He added in his mind.

"I see…" Esdeath replied, acknowledging what she heard. "This is a sort of bestial instinct, then? Well, for the time being at least, I plan to have fun hunting these rebels down. By the way, what has become of your son?"

Honest shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not aware. I was told he was taken into treatment, but the moment he regained consciousness he disappeared. It does not matter now. As long as he isn't causing too much trouble then he can do what he wants."

' _I wonder if I should inform him that he is the one who got the boy into the Imperial Palace.'_ Esdeath thought slyly.

"Speaking of rebels…" Honest suddenly brought up. Then with a devilish look he looked at Esdeath. "…I think it's a little too much to request six Teigu users."

Esdeath understood what he meant. In fact, she returned that expression with a menacing but calm glare of her own. "Though in the end, you will take care of it, right?"

Honest grinned, showing his sinister side. He enjoyed what he had planned for the general; hence he gripped his beard and became much sinister.

"I will take care of the preparations…though as for what you can do for me…I…do happen to have some people I wish would disappear."

And now Esdeath understood. She didn't seem troubled by it, though. In fact she just sighed and smiled.

"Such intrigue."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Esdeath now stood before three men. By her side, she had Sunny who just stood there and curious on the three men. Of course, she knew them as The Three Beast Warriors, though one of them was a teenage boy around her age. Anyway, their posture had them with one fist and knee on the ground and the other knee up as they faced their mistress, General Esdeath.

"I have new orders for you three." Esdeath informed them strictly. "Though it's somewhat different than normal."

"Give us any sort of orders, Esdeath-sama." said the tall and slim man of the group. He had gray hair that was worn into a ponytail, a mustache and blue eyes.

"The three of us are your faithful servants." The teenager of the group added. He had blonde hair and golden eyes while possessing a somewhat cat-like look in his eyes and teeth and wearing horns as a headdress and a devil tail. As for his uniform, he wore black and white, but with shorts rather than pants.

"We will accept any orders at any time, ma'am." The muscular man of the group concluded. He was large in size and had spiky blonde hair. He also wore horns as a headdress and surprisingly didn't have pupils like a normal person. His eyes were pure white.

Anyway, Esdeath was pleased. She had no doubt that her loyal bodyguards would succeed. As such, she grinned and said. "Good."

And then there was Sunny. She couldn't help but admire the men in a way as she stood there.

"Not bad. Can I join them?" Sunny asked.

"No." Esdeath answered. "There's something else we must discuss."

Sunny grinned madly and let her eyes shine pink. "Oh goody. I can hardly wait."

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **I'm gonna stop here for now. I had so much planned to add, but this chapter would get too long and cramped if I continued. So what do you think? A lot is coming and I hope you're ready for them. It's pretty obvious that Sunny is trying to push Esdeath to Ben and now we're drawing close to the scene where Ben saves Spear.**

 **On another note, sorry that this chapter doesn't have Ben regaining the Ultimates. That was originally meant for this chapter until I realized how long this chapter already was. So that awesome moment will be moved to the next chapter. How will he get the Ultimates back? You're gonna have to wait and see.**

 **By the way, in the Akame ga kill wiki, Nyau is stated to be in his early twenties despite looking like a kid. I've decided to alter that age to him actually being a teen. The reason will be revealed when The Three Beasts fight Bulat, Tatsumi and an unexpected someone.**

 **Now I'm going to reply to some reviews. Please keep in mind that these are for everyone to read so they can know why I did some things and so on.**

 **Derpen: That "Are you all blind? Deploy everything you have!" was really from Rogue One: A Star Wars story. Thanks for noticing it.**

 **ShadingWolf49: Well I always planned on Ben meeting up with Night Raid at some point. He may be powerful, but he always needed people to back him up when things became critical. Besides, having him separated from Night Raid only seemed to make the story longer and far from using the manga. So at least now the story can go along with the manga now that Ben is there. Also, you have a point for saying he's acting like Peter Parker. He did say that "with great power comes great responsibility" when he faced Honest. Lol.**

 **Strong-bot: Thank you! Aria staying alive was inspired by another crossover fanfiction that did the same. However, unlike this one, Aria seems to have a minor role in that fanfic. I just decided to widen it in this fanfic.**

 **Cyberbeasttitan: I agree. Omniverse had so much potential. But with McDuffie's death, it didn't go so well. I don't know to blame Wyatt entirely though. Wasn't he the art director? If so, the only thing he was in charge of was the art style and not the writing. But I'll admit he seemed to have some story control in the series since he always made claims about certain things in the show that sometimes didn't come through. Even Young (a writer on the show) stated that if a claim wasn't show on the TV then it wasn't true. Anyway, because Eunice and Sunny were barely explored, I decided to add them here.**

 **DragoBlack: It never came to my mind that the Null Void should be referenced. To be honest, I had a different idea entirely that would've changed the chapter afterwards. But my beta-reader thought otherwise and I ended up agreeing him. Anyway, Ultimate Rath will show up in this fanfiction. He won't be the first ultimate alien sadly, but he will have an awesome show.**

 **_REVIEWS END_**

 **That's it for now. Also thanks tomahawkESP, SpaceEngineer643, Guest and Guest (for chapter 6) for your reviews. I hope you guys keep enjoying this fanfic.**

 **Thank you all for reading this. Please be sure to review and favorite and follow if you haven't. Doing all these really gives me the inspiration to continue, so please keep it up. And as a reminder, the Generator Rex and Attack on Titan fanfiction is now out. If you're interested in the two shows, please go check them out. Bye!**


	27. Explanation, Paradox and The Wild Hunt?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thanks for your support in the previous chapter! I'm now here to present another chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 27: Explanation, Paradox and…The Wild Hunt?**

Seryu was lying on a hospital bed with her face staring at a window next to her as she looked outside. The room she was in was in a top floor so she couldn't look down on the street unless she could stand. However, even if she wanted to, she couldn't due to her condition. Her battle with Ben had left her badly injured, as indicated by the bandages wrapped around her forehead and arms (at least what was left of it after Ieyasu cut them off) tied into a cast.

"I so want to get out here." She muttered and sighed. Then she turned to Koro who was seated not far from her. "Just how long must I wait until Dr. Stylish gets here...I lost my arms fighting those dreaded Night Raid…which reminds me…"

A flashback of Ben's face came to mind. It was enough to make her feel sad as a frown came on her face. "Why…Why did he attack me back then?" She questioned. "I thought…he was an ally of justice, but…he fought me because…I delivered justice on that boy from Night Raid…or was there something more to it?"

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **BACK AT NIGHT RAID'S HIDEOUT**

"The Unitrix?" Lubbock questioned.

Some time had passed since Eunice explained some things about herself. Now it was Lubbock who questioned her with doubt. "I'm sorry, but from what you just said, shouldn't you be like a watch on Ben's wrist?"

"Yeah, I kind of agree with him for once." Leone said in agreement.

Eunice then explained. "I guess you're right about that. But when I was created, I was just the core. I can still return to that form, but what you see here is when I absorbed Gwen's DNA and randomized it to be this way."

"So basically you're a copy of this…Gwen?" Akame questioned. Then she turned to Ben. "Who is Gwen anyway?"

"She's my cousin, the good one." Ben answered. "You guys haven't met her, but she's part human and the only one with Anodite genes in the family. But if you were to meet her, you might confuse her with Sunny since she and her look almost the same. Sunny likes to copy her looks for some reason."

"I see." Akame said in acknowledgement.

With that, Eunice continued. "Gwen is also a wonderful girl. She and her boyfriend and Ben are basically the reason I'm here, so don't feel threatened by her. Unlike Sunny, she has kind human parents, so she's more considerate and caring of people around her like Ben."

"Huh, that sounds okay." Mine said and smiled. "If she's as powerful as that Sunny girl, maybe we would have a better chance against her."

"Anyway…" Eunice continued, raising her finger up. "That doesn't mean I'm her clone. I have no Anodite powers, and I'm more of my own person. In fact, I'm not related to her by blood in that sense."

"Then what about you being a core?" Leone questioned. Like her comrades, she was curious. "How do you look like as that anyway?"

"Well…" Eunice muttered, thinking of how to explain.

Fortunately, the blonde girl didn't have to. Ben touched the faceplate of the Omnitrix and let the thing to slide back for the core to then pop up. Then he stretched his arm forward for everyone to see.

"Her core kind of looks this." He said, getting everyone's attention. "The only difference is that it's bigger."

"Intriguing." Najenda commented with a pleasant tone. She then sat forward with her one eye at Eunice. "Pardon me for asking, Eunice, but are you similar to an organic Teigu?"

"Organic Teigu?" Eunice questioned. She was confused upon hearing that. "What's that?"

Bulat explained. "An organic Teigu is also called a biological Teigu. When these weapons were created from now extinct high class Danger Beasts, some were crafted into living forms such as the ones that Mine, Sheele and Ieyasu faced, and the one Ben defeated. They usually are in a sleep state until they encounter the one they believe is compatible with them."

"Huh…" Ben said. He seemed unsure on what to say as his arm was down by this point. "So…that's what that thing is?"

"Indeed." Bulat said. He was facing Ben when he said this. "However, don't align compatible Teigu with that thing you faced. Weapons are used the way they are by the person who wields it."

"So…" Mine asked. She didn't want to be on the topic about the Teigu that killed Ieyasu. Thus, she had a question for Eunice. "…are you like Ben? Does that mean you can transform too?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Tatsumi exclaimed with a smirk. Though he wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Ben, he still liked the idea that there was someone with the same abilities as him.

Eunice, however, shook her head. She had expected a question like that to come up, and as such she answered.

"The Omnitrix and Unitrix are two different creations despite their similarities. When I was created, I was just supposed to possess one's ability at a time, meaning I can't have more than one like the Omnitrix. That is why I'm called the Unitrix, because 'uni' means one while 'Omni' means all. "

"But you just said now that you can possess one's ability at a time." Akame said. She was paying close attention to every word the girl had said, so she didn't seem to hold back to criticize.

"That is correct." Eunice replied. "But it's different from the Omnitrix. As the Unitrix, I'm able to copy the basic abilities of whomever I touch, though I have received an upgrade that allows me to copy the ability of anyone who makes physical contact with me."

Everyone besides Ben was surprised to hear this. Eunice looked so normal, but yet possessed such. But everyone was able to hold it in, especially as Akame asked again.

"Does that mean that –"

"Yes, I'm able to copy the powers of a Teigu." Eunice admitted. "From the data I gathered before coming here, Teigu were once living things. As such, some part of them despite being handmade weapons still has DNA. That is how I was able to collect the ability of the Teigu of the one you call General Budo and fight Sunny."

Now this was mind-blowing. Not only could Eunice absorb abilities, but she could use the power the Grand General of the empire who was feared by many without some actually setting an eye on him. But there was some who saw value in this, especially Najenda who just smirked as she sat back on her seat.

"Then this is good." Najenda said. She got everyone's attention before continuing. "To have someone with such a power by our side, the empire doesn't stand a chance. That is especially if that someone has the power of the great General Budo."

"That's where you're wrong." Eunice said. Her tone changed from its lightness as she became serious. "Aside from the fact that Sunny is with the empire, I'm not on your side even if I'm with Ben."

Najenda was disappointed. The smirk on her face dropped. "Oh, and why are you here then?"

"I'm here to ensure Ben doesn't get harmed or tainted by this world and…"

"And?" Ben turned, confused.

Eunice continued. "And to collect necessary data on any Teigu I come across along the way."

Now that shocked everyone. Even Ben was surprise as he stared at Eunice. But at the same time some felt some betrayal and mistrust before reaching to their various Teigu, except Mine since she didn't have hers with her. Akame already had her hand on her katana before Ben grabbed her wrist.

"Wait! Hold on!" He protested.

"And do what!?" Akame questioned offensively. "Your friend here is a spy! Whether she's from this world or not, we can't let anyone know about our weapons."

"I understand, but –"

"It's okay, Ben." Eunice said. Her voice was calm as she walked towards Ben. But by doing so only made other Night Raid members tense even when she spoke again. "I was aware of this happening. So please don't worry."

The girl then turned to everyone else. "I'm very sorry for what I've done! I know what I'm doing isn't right, but I can assure you that this won't affect you or your future battles!"

"What you've done?" Tatsumi questioned. He was confused until a thought then flashed in his mind and his eyes then widened. "Wait, does that mean that –"

"Yes…" Eunice admitted. Her voice was sad. "I've already collected the data. Though I am as human as I can be, I wear special contact lens that analyses and captures data of every Teigu that I've seen and immediately transfers it over to Azmuth."

"But why…?" Ben questioned. He didn't like how things were going. In fact, even the fact that Eunice was a spy made him angry when he turned to Eunice. "I'm sorry, but why are you doing this!? What's Azmuth's game?"

"Azmuth?" Mine questioned.

Aria answered. "Ben told me he's the creator of the Omnitrix. I'm guessing he's also Eunice's creator."

Anyway, Eunice answered though hesitant. "I…don't know. Azmuth never specified when I asked him. All he said was, 'Perhaps I can make some actual good from what I see'."

"Huh…okay then." Ben said. His attitude then calmed down. "Well…I just hope Azmuth doesn't screw things up this time. These Teigu are dangerous and shouldn't be used for whatever purposes he has."

"I know." Eunice answered.

With that, a silence then came over the ground. There had been mild drama with what had happened, but things seemed to relax between everyone. But then everyone turned to the back of a pillar when they heard a British accent.

"Well I guess that's my cue to come out."

And then it happened. Professor Paradox walked out of the shadows and into the view of everyone. Of course, his appearance got some reactions from everyone in the room until a certain black haired assassin decided to attack.

So even though it was brief, Akame's instinct told her to attack. The man in front of her was a mystery and dangerous considering he had possibly been listening on them. As such, she thrust her katana forward for the man's chest and ignoring Ben's shout.

"Akame, no!"

However, it was too late. Akame's katana went straight for Professor Paradox and even came close to his chest until the man grabbed it with his normal hand. However, she was then quick to counteract that by swinging a kick for his face. However, to her surprise, she missed.

A blink later and she found herself landing on the ground with her knee touching it. As for the man, he stood still like nothing happened as he looked as his hand which was uninjured.

"Oh, now that wasn't nice." He said.

"Impossible." Akame muttered in shock. "There's not a scratch on you. Murasame should've –"

"Killed me with its poison." Paradox completed for her. His attitude didn't seem to change even when he turned to her. "I know. This isn't the first time we've met after all."

Just then, another attack came. A bunch of green threads suddenly appeared around Paradox, ready to tie him up swiftly. However, when the one responsible, Lubbock, actually did it, he was surprise to feel a tap on his shoulder and then a certain man speaking close to his ears.

"That was so close, wasn't it?"

Lubbock shrieked and moved away. He was taken aback by what just happened. As for the man he tried to capture, it was the same guy who had whispered into his ears. But that didn't mean the assault stopped. In fact, no sooner than that, Leone in her beast form leapt over him with her fist ready to hit the time traveler.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm going to –"

"Stop."

"Huh?"

Leone was surprised at what happened. She was stuck in mid-air with her fist just a few meters from Paradox's face. As for everyone else, most of them were shocked as they stared at Leone frozen in time.

"What the hell?! Why can't I move?!" Leone angrily yelled.

Ben suddenly erupted into a moment's laugh. Not surprising, his reaction surprised almost everyone for doing that especially as he clutched his stomach and continued laughing. Of course, this got Leone and Tatsumi angry as they turned to him.

"What's so funny!?" Both Tatsumi and Leone shouted simultaneously.

"You guys!" Ben replied. He then stopped laughing and took a breath of air before looking over to Paradox. "But seriously, as much as that was hilarious, it's actually great to see you again, Paradox."

"Same here, Ben." Paradox replied. "Though in my case, I just met you a few hours ago. You know how time can be."

With that said, Paradox walked over to the Omnitrix user. He also then snapped his robotic fingers and removed the time effect on Leone and let her fall to the ground. Thus, the busty blonde had to get back on her feet, irritated, and then march towards him.

"Hey! Now you're in for it, asshole!"

"Leone, that's enough!" Najenda ordered. She was still seated at her seat, having seen all that had happened.

But of course Leone protested, but was denied by her boss before Paradox then turned to her with some amusement.

"Leone, still as hotheaded as I remember you." He said.

"Hotheaded!?" Leone yelled angrily.

"Leone, wait!" Ben shouted. This time he went over to Paradox's side to prevent another fight. "Don't take it so seriously. Paradox is actually a good guy. He's the reason I'm here in the first place."

"Wait, that's the time-traveler you mentioned?" Tatsumi questioned.

"Indeed." Paradox answered Tatsumi. "By the way, nice seeing you again, Tatsumi, and of course everyone here. I must say, you all are still as jumpy as I remember." He then turned to Bulat. "Except for you, Bulat. As expected of a man of your stature to analysis the situation before reacting."

"Thanks." Bulat said. "It also helped that Ben seemed worried when Akame reacted. That was enough to tell me you're a friend."

Akame bowed forward at Professor Paradox. "My apologies." She said.

"Yeah, same here." Lubbock said.

"Whatever." Leone snubbed.

"Anyway…" Ben said, taking over. "Paradox is a cool guy and a ton of help. Some of the adventures I went through wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for him."

"I see…" Najenda muttered. Then she focused on Paradox as she seemed suspicious. "You're a… what Ben calls a time-traveller, correct? Do you mind specifying that? I get the feeling we've already met."

"We have." Paradox said. He was turned to Najenda's direction as he continued. "However, I can assure you that you can disperse your suspicion as I mean no harm, General. Time for me is of a different view as a time-traveller. I wish to only assist when necessary."

"He's right." Ben agreed. "Professor Paradox is able to go to the past, present and future and even through the Multiverse. So he's pretty awesome."

Everyone was surprised to hear that. Most of them had an idea of what a time traveller was, but to think that such a man in front of them had such power in his hands was incredible and yet shocking. Even Leone who had been stubborn was loosened as she faced Paradox.

"Does that mean that you –"

"Froze you in time? That's correct." Paradox confirmed. "But I will admit my method was different from when Ben blasted Aria with the time ray at that night."

"You were watching?" Tatsumi questioned.

"I was." Paradox answered. Then he moved his head slightly to the young man. "However, I could not save them. There are rules to these interactions, and even I must follow them."

Najenda immediately became in thought. _'Rules? Then that must mean that even he is under someone or…some people. But still…this is unexpected. First, a young man with a watch that defies our existence, then a girl with a close ability to that and now a man who possibly knows everything about us…If these three were against us, we won't stand a single chance. The revolution would be crushed and the empire…I don't even know what would become of it if they had evil intentions. But since that's not the case, then this is good. I have a question to ask after all.'_

"Professor Paradox." Najenda called. Though she felt somewhat tense in his presence, she remained calm. "It's an honor to meet someone of your great standards. It's not everyday people in our way of life would have an opportunity to meet such a person. But there has been something that's intrigued me."

"Oh, and what's that?" Paradox asked. He knew what she was going to ask, but he didn't say it.

"We've met in the future. Does that mean you know our fate?" She asked.

"Correct." Paradox admitted. "I know the enemies you will face, the companionships you will share and those of you who will fall in battle."

Everyone felt some tension in response. It was a reaction, as most of them were able to mask it better than others. However, Tatsumi was different. He became emotional and walked over to Paradox before grabbing him by his coat.

"Someone's going to die?! And you say it so calmly?!"

"Tatsumi!" Bulat shouted strictly. He gained the attention of the teen soon after that and continued. "Remember what I said that night! Don't get emotional! We all knew we can face in this line of work!"

"But, bro, this isn't fair!" Tatsumi protested. "I understand death is to be expected, but if we can –"

Paradox cut the boy off by patting him on his head with his robot hand. Of course, this got the teen's attention as he looked to Paradox's kind face.

"Rest easy, young Tatsumi." Paradox said. His voice was calm and assuring as he continued. "What has happened in the past was devastating, but you should not let such cloud what you have in the future. Though I cannot enjoy the thought of wondering what the future beholds for me since I already know what awaits, I think for the best you can do for now is set your sight on the future you want. Once you've done that, there's no doubt that those who fought alongside you as friends and comrades and die in the process would be smiling and wishing you a happy life."

"Professor…" Tatsumi muttered. He was surprised, but at the same time comforted as he was close to the timetraveller. _'This man…just know…comforted me. I don't even know him and yet it looks like he's concerned about him. And from the tone just used, did I just sense sadness? Just what has he been deprived off as a human being? What…made him this way?'_

Tatsumi couldn't figure it out. Though Paradox seemed open, it was obvious he won't speak of his past. However, what he did next still caught everyone's attention as he removed his hand from Tatsumi's head.

"Anyway, there are some things I brought along." He said.

Now everyone was curious. However, what he suddenly did surprised and shocked them. Paradox reached into his coat and brought out a familiar two-edged axe and handed it over to Tatsumi who then began to cry he grabbed the weapon.

"I-Ieyasu…" He cried.

The weapon in his hands was of his dead best friend. So to him, being able to hold a weapon that Ieyasu once kept and used was enough to make him very grateful and smile at the object despite the tears. "Welcome back, buddy. I knew you'll be back one day."

"Oh, and I can't forget this." Paradox said and brought out another weapon. This time Mine was quick to rush over to him.

The weapon in Paradox's hand was a certain giant purple scissors. He didn't hold on to it though, as he then handed it to Mine who just clutched it tightly with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She cried. She felt some relief upon holding the weapon in her hand. "Sheele will be so happy to see you again." She whispered.

There was a lot to say about that scene. The other members of Night Raid could say nothing as they watched their two members hold two precious weapons in their hands. Of course, they understood it and didn't mind it at all. That especially went for Najenda, who then spoke up.

"You have my thanks, Professor." Najenda said honestly. "In these times of fighting, some comfort is needed. But I had assumed you couldn't assist us like this…I guess I was wrong."

"You were not wrong, General." Paradox said, looking at her "But I can say, I do sympathize with you all. I have visited many alternate timelines, some worse than the others, and there have taught me some things about life. So there are exemptions I can make, but do not expect this to be a regular."

"Understood." Najenda complied.

With that said, Professor Paradox then turned to Ben and held him by the shoulder. "Now then, would you mind coming with me to the front. I have some things for you."

"For me?" Ben asked, confused. His attitude then changed to a grin. "Awesome! Let's go!" He shouted.

Paradox chuckled in response. "Well then. Without any delay, we'll see the rest of you outside." He said.

With that, Paradox and Ben disappeared in a flash of blue light. Of course, this surprised most of them since they hadn't expected it. But then Leone sniffed the air and caught scent of the two individuals before then running outside.

"Come on, they're this way!" She shouted.

Everyone except Bulat and Najenda ran off. Now it was just Najenda and Bulat on their own, with the latter then laying his back on a pillar with his arms crossed. Thus, Najenda became curious.

"You're not going with them?" She asked.

"Nah, I think I'll let them tell me about it later." Bulat answered. "It's crazy huh? Just two months ago, we were dealing with the empire's filth and now we're involved with a kid with an alien watch, a biologically created being and a time-traveler. If I weren't so young, I would say I was too old for this."

Najenda giggled lightly. What Bulat had said was an attempt at a joke, so she didn't mind it. As such, she just took a cigarette and lit it up before taking a whiff of it to smoke.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the Imperial Castle, Grand General Budo lay on a magnificent and spacious bed in his quarters. Ever since his battle with Ben Tennyson, he had been taken into his quarters, unaware of what had happened at the time he was unconscious. Now he lay there on his pillow, covered in bandages from his chest and head while staring at the ceiling as he was in thought.

' _I was…I was actually beaten.'_ General Budo thought. He was emotionless about it as he stayed still. Thus, he finally reacted by angrily gritting his teeth. _'That boy! Though the circumstance of the battle has been kept from the public, this won't change the humiliation I received! The Emperor…he certainly won't overlook this! I failed him!'_

' _You will never beat him.'_

Budo's eyes widened until it went back to normal. He knew that voice well. It was the voice of the Beheader, Zank, who he had met for the last time before he was executed.

 **FLASHBACK: ABOUT A MONTH AGO**

General Budo stood before the cell of Zank the Beheader with a cold look in his eyes. For time now, Zank for some reason refused to answer their questions on the young man that had defeated him. But that didn't deter Budo. He just stood there looking at the dark back of the cell until he heard a voice.

"The great Grand General is here to see me. I must say I am honored."

"Enough with your sly ways, Beheader!" General Budo said coldly. "You know why I am here. You're about to be executed, so make this simple and answer me. Who is the young man that defeated you?! What is his Teigu?!"

Zank chuckled in response. "You know, it feels really nice to be free from the voices. The fact that I killed so many is…quite depressing to me. I mean I used to get a real thrill executing scum left and right, all those heads I rolled. Then my hunger for death grew and I went a little crazy. I may be 'enlightened' now, but I look forward to paying for my sins even though I know it won't change much…Monsters like me and even worse still exist. I almost pity the young man, because he'll certainly face them. But if I do meet monsters in hell, well maybe I'll get the pleasure of making some of their heads roll before I'm subjected to eternal torment or whatever it is the damned are cursed for."

"Don't ignore the question!" Budo yelled angrily. He was frustrated as the one who knew what he needed was literally dodging his question. Hence, he slammed his fist at the cell. "What you've done is unforgiveable! I would never want a man like you to ever walk the streets again! But for once, do your service to the empire one last time and tell me what you know about him! Maybe then you might meet God before he casts you to hell!"

"Hmph…Is that so?" Zank said. He seemed a bit amused. "Sorry to break it to you, General, but I have no intention of meeting a god…for I have already met one."

"What?" General Budo was confused.

From there, Zank's voice became softer as he looked up thought for a moment before correcting himself. "Well…I wouldn't say I've met a god. But there's no doubt the boy has the power of one."

General Budo was speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. But then his frustration came back and he slammed his fist on the cell again. "Don't talk nonsense! No Teigu has such power!"

"Perhaps…You are right about that, I suppose." Zank admitted while smirking, the truth of the matter being known only to him after reading the boys mind.

Now General Budo was confused. However, he said nothing as Zank continued with a lighter tone. "But the situation won't change. This world…our place in it will be altered by that young man. You haven't seen it yet, but I have. From the moment I confronted him and lost I know the fate that awaits this… rotting domain we call a city. And when you do finally face him, remember these words that I will say to you for the final time. For they shall be my last words in this world."

General Budo was now curious. He didn't know if Zank would be honest or sprout out nonsense. However, if it was a clue on Ben then that would be enough as he stood silent and finally heard what Zank's last words were.

"You will never beat him." He said.

And with that, the flashback came to an end.

 **FLASHBACK END**

' _So…he actually saw my defeat coming.'_ General Budo thought subtly. _'He was a psychopath, but even he saw things than I didn't. And now…even I have seen it as well. That boy…No, that young man indeed has the power to alter our lives, and so…even though I've failed I have to prevent him from taking this empire from the emperor.'_

Suddenly, a knock from the door came. It caught the attention of General Budo, who sat up before the door open. However, when he locked eyes with the person coming in, he wasn't pleased at all. The person was the Prime Minister, Honest.

"General Budo, I heard you were finally awake, so I thought I could visit." Honest said and closed the door behind him.

"Prime Minister…" General Budo muttered. He had malice for the man, as he was the cause for everything wrong in the empire. However, he said nothing as he watched the man walking close to him with an amused and mockery smile on his face.

"Your defeat with the boy was unexpected. His Highness was not pleased, and I assume you heard what happened following your defeat."

"Yes." General Budo replied, not showing any weakness. "This defeat…has no excuse. I will meet His Highness and speak with him personally once I'm capable of moving."

"I guess you are right." Honest said. Then he turned to a window and looked through it with his arms behind his back. This gave Budo the only view of his back as he continued. "Did you know the young man's name is Ben Tennyson? No doubt it was one of the things the Beheader withheld from us. Maybe he was trying to protect the young lad."

"Ben Tennyson?" General Budo questioned. Now that he recalled, even in his battle, he never got the real name of the teen hero.

Anyway, Honest continued. "Yes. He is a pest for certain. Fortunately, Esdeath will have him dealt with in your place. The Emperor was pleased with how she and her new subordinate reacted to his invasion. He even offered her your rank. But she declined, saying how it wasn't entirely her doing…So kind of her, isn't it?"

"I'm not surprised." Budo commented. He showed no weakness yet again as he added. "My failure was a disgrace to the empire. I do not feel worthy to hold such a title anymore."

"Perhaps…" Honest then tilted his head to the general. "But nevertheless you are still useful to the empire no matter what. I'm sure even the emperor knows it. After all you're still alive and despite losing you still have your teigu."

General Budo had nothing to say about it. A part of him did know it was true, but he didn't want to show any weakness before the Prime Minister. As such, Honest continued as he turned and began walking to the door.

"Well I'll be taking my leave." He said. "But before I leave, just know that the incident in the Capital was a setback. The girl under Esdeath is the boy's cousin, and she seems quite powerful if I must say. So if anything, we've grown more powerful, especially when Esdeath finally arranges her team."

' _Team?'_ General Budo questioned to himself.

However, he asked no inquiry of it. Instead he just watched the Prime Minister waver back at him and leave the room. Now it was just him alone again as he raised his twin Teigu gauntlets which have always been around his wrist.

' _I must become stronger…for the emperor's sake.'_ He thought. His mind then went over to the time of his defeat before a strong and serious look formed on his face. He now had his resolve. _'And to you, Beheader, I will ensure I prove you wrong. One way or another, I will defeat Ben Tennyson with my own might. That…I am certain.'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **DIRECTLY OUTSIDE NIGHT RAID HIDEOUT**

Most of the members of Night with Aria and Eunice came outside. There, they heard Ben shout in joy before coming to a stop when they saw the teen hugging a strange vehicle in his arms.

"Ohhh I missed you so much, Time Cycle!" Ben exclaimed cheerfully as he affectionately rubbed his hands over his ride.

"Time Cycle?!" Night Raid and Aria questioned simultaneously.

"That's the Time Cycle?" Eunice questioned. Unlike the others, she knew perfectly well about the vehicle before turning to them to answer. "The Time Cycle is what you see here. From what I've collected, Ben and his partner, Rook, used them on numerous occasions to go through time and different dimensions."

"Through time?" Tatsumi was surprised. The same was for everyone.

However, that didn't mean everyone was fine with it. Akame and Lubbock already had their worries about it as they eyed the teen just ogling childishly over the strange vehicle.

"Wait, but that thing doesn't have anything to pull it?" Lubbock asked.

Paradox answered. "That's because, Lubbock, this works without the use of horses. Your world has come a nice way in technology, however the world Ben comes from is far more advanced than you can imagine."

Akame then asked. "Then does that mean that bike can –"

"Yes." Paradox answered. Though he had interrupted Akame, he continued to explain. "However, a limit has been placed on the Time Cycle."

Now it was Ben's turn to ask. He turned to the time-traveller, surprised at what he heard. "A limit? What kind of limit?"

"A limit to how much you can use it for time-travel." Paradox answered. Then he turned to Ben fully. "You see, Ben, there's another time war; this time deadlier and critical than the other one you participated. Right now as I speak, over a thousand universes in the Multiverse are taking part in it."

"Wow, so cool!?" Ben exclaimed. He felt much pumped about hearing the news, thus he punched his fist into his open hand with an excited grin. "So when do I get to join in on the fun?!"

"You already have." Paradox answered.

Ben was surprised, with the same for the others but confused. Fortunately, Paradox could understand it as he then dug his hand into his coat to bring out something.

"My apologies, Ben, but there isn't much time to explain." Paradox said. "But before I leave, there is another thing I wish to offer you. This will be very important in your continuous fight against the empire."

Now everyone was curious about it. Ben couldn't figure out what the time-traveler had in mind nor could he think of one. As such, when Paradox brought out a metal grey box, every attention was on him and the object as he explained.

"The Second Time War (or the Multiverse War as some calls it) has escalated to a point where even a person like myself wouldn't have expected." He said. "That is why we took precautions to barrier this universe and lock Alien X and Clockwork in a timer set within the Omnitrix. I'm sorry but you won't be able to access them until the timer runs out."

Ben was surprised to hear this, with the same for Eunice.

"So that's why I couldn't find Alien X and Clockwork when I was in Sheele's room." He said in realization.

"Ben?" Eunice asked. She was still surprised, but that was overshadowed by her concern as she looked at the teen hero. "You knew both of them were missing and didn't tell me about it?"

"Yeah, I did." Ben answered her. "Sorry for not telling you. I didn't want to worry you."

Eunice understood, though, she became quiet. As for Paradox, he saw this as the chance to then open the box to reveal a small green crystal in it. Ben recognized the thing, and became amazed by it, even as everyone drew close.

"What…is that?" Akame asked.

"It looks like a crystal." Tatsumi said from observation.

"Correct, you are, Tatsumi." Paradox said with a smile. "But to be more precise, this is a Polymorphic Crystal, a raw material with incredible potential and quite rare to come across. Young Ben once came across it when he fought an old foe impersonating as him."

' _He must be talking about Albedo.'_ Eunice thought. _'At that time, Inspector 13 was responsible for it until Albedo got his hands on it and used it on his stabilizer to gain the Ultimates feature again.'_

Then a realization dawned on her. By thinking over what Ben went through at the time she mentioned, she had a feeling of what Paradox intended to do. Hence, her eyes widened as her composed attitude changed. But it wasn't noticeable until she spoke to the time-traveler.

"Hold on, are you intending to give Ben back the Ultimates feature?" Eunice questioned.

"Ultimates feature?" Mine questioned, confused.

Now the same curiosity and confusion was in everyone else's mind. Something felt off with how Paradox had presented the crystal previously, and now Eunice's sudden reaction to it seemed to confirm it. It was even a bit the same for Aria, who was in thought as well.

' _Ultimates feature…? Why does that…sound familiar? I know Ben told me something like that once, but…I can't remember.'_

Now there was no holding back. Paradox had expected this tension in everyone despite being so calm and collected. But he decided not to address it directly as he then answered Eunice.

"Perhaps." He said, answering to her question. "But it depends on if Ben accepts it."

"Me?" Ben questioned. He was surprised, though, it did make sense for the decision to be his.

Paradox continued. "Yes, it is your choice, Ben." He said. "I cannot force you to make a decision that isn't your own. However, I will inform you that it is of most importance that you regain the feature. Many trials awaits you and you'll face many foes, some far stronger and ruthless than the other."

"I see…" Ben paused.

Silence then swept the area. There was even some tension amongst everyone standing there, minus Paradox. Of course, this was expected by the time-traveler as most of them didn't even know what they were talking about. So while there was those worried for Ben like Aria and Eunice, there were others who found this situation alarming like Akame, Tatsumi and Lubbock.

Meanwhile, there was the conflict within Ben. He could recall the last time he had the Ultimates feature. At that time, he had regained the new Omnitrix which Azmuth deemed more superior than the Ultimatrix at the time. But now, none of that seemed to matter. Ben would've taken the crystal without asking, but there were some doubts in him as he eyed the crystal.

' _I remember that Albedo used that thing to regain the Ultimates. So…that should mean I'll regain them, right? But why am I not going after it? Am I…worried? I guess I am worried with all that has happened. I guess I…just don't want to fail again when I level up.'_

"Hey, Ben!" Leone called out.

Ben quickly turned to her. Her voice had broken him out of his thoughts, so now she had his attention. But unlike the others, she stood with a mild annoyed look on her face and her arms crossed under her chest as she glared at him.

"Choose already, huh! I don't know what that thing is, but if it's going to help you kick ass better, then just pick it so we can get back inside! I got better things to do!" She shouted.

' _Well…I guess she's not big on encouragement'_ Ben sweat dropped. Leone's attitude was unlike the others who just seemed to center on him. But surprising it made him to smirk and pick up the crystal from the box in Paradox's hands. _'She's right! This is going to kick ass! Besides, I've gone through enough emotional internal conflicts! Time to be a hero!'_

"Ben…" Eunice called.

Ben turned to her almost immediately. Now he saw the girl approaching him until she came to a stop close to him.

"Are you sure about this?" Eunice questioned. She was clearly worried for the teen as she continued. "Azmuth was against the Ultimates feature. And let's not forget that the Ultimatrix was flawed back then."

Ben just smiled in response. "You're right about that. The Ultimatrix back then had its flaws, but it still got the job done even though it put me in troubling places." The memory of the Ultimates coming after him being the first to pop into his mind out of all other troubles.

Eunice said nothing back to him. Instead she stood and watched with concern as he turned away and lifted the crystal above the Omnitrix which opened its faceplate entirely.

Ben continued. "Azmuth didn't like the Ultimatrix because he saw it as flawed and too violent. But in this world, being a bit more violent is necessary. I promise not to overuse its ability, but right now…I have to do this if I'm going to be able to save this world."

"Ben…" Eunice muttered.

And so with all that had transpired, Ben didn't hold back anymore. He was very certain of his decision even in the sight of the others just silently watching. So he wasted no time to drop the crystal into the open space in the Omnitrix.

Now what happened next became mind-blowing. The alien device made a whining sound as green light beamed from every part of it. The sight itself was spectacular as none had seen such a rare moment happen.

But the scene didn't stop there. The Omnitrix suddenly created a huge hologram that towered over everyone before displaying every single unlocked alien in its database in front of everyone. The scene was breathtaking.

"Wow…" Lubbock said. His eyes were wide as he saw every alien displayed right in front of him. "Are those…Ben's aliens?"

"All these creatures…locked in one device?" Akame said in astonishment.

"I…I have nothing to say." Leone said. She was in the same state of her comrades. But then she smirked a bit and huffed. "Suddenly, I feel like fighting some of them."

Then there was Aria, who said. "I know…Ben said he had many aliens, but…these are beyond my imagination. With all these…he could be invincible."

Tatsumi gulped some saliva. Some of the aliens in display were ones he had seen before in his village. But even as they were shown in a split second, he was feeling overwhelmed by the number of creatures in Ben's disposal. It was like he had a company at his disposal.

Back at the teen hero, he just stared at the hologram in display. However, the scene didn't last for long. The hologram disappeared before the Omnitrix beeped and got everyone staring at it again. This time the body glowed green as it changed its size until the process was complete. Now the Omnitrix was gone, and in its place was the New Ultimatrix with a different design from its predecessor.

" **SYSTEMS CHECK! ULTIMATES FEATURES ADDED AND COMPLETED! NEW ALIENS UNLOCKED! OMNITRIX CONVERTED TO THE ULTIMATRIX COMPLETED! ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE!"**

Everyone was taken back, but awed at the scene. The Omnitrix was no longer in existence because in its place was the Ultimatrix. So for those besides Ben, Eunice and Paradox, it was a lot to take in. As for the new Ultimatrix design, it looked almost similar to the old Ultimatrix, but half the size. It was also green in color, but with half of it at his wrist with the old Ultimatrix's faceplate there, while the other half was at the back of his hands. There was also a black spot directed at each of his fingertips.

"Well I guess I'll be on my way now." Paradox said pleasantly. The time-traveler had nothing else to do. Thus, he began to turn away, but not without looking at Ben one more time. "I wish you the best of luck, young Ben. It'll be sometime before we meet again. Right now it would appear your own friend, Rex Salazar, is in a pitch of his own in another world."

"Rex?" Ben remembered the teen. "Wait… is he in a big jam like me?"

"More or else." Paradox answered. With that he turned his back at everyone and added. "Take care then."

Paradox then disappeared in a flash of blue light. Ben wasn't unfazed by it though, since he was used to it. Also, at this point none of Night Raid seemed surprised anymore. Paradox was clearly a mysterious man, so to expect the unexpected from him was the only thing they could do. However, that wasn't what was going through Ben's mind. The teen hero looked up his new Ultimatrix and smiled.

"It's just the same as usual huh, Rex." Ben said.

"Ben." Eunice called. She was still next to the teen hero when she got his attention. As such, she then asked. "I was thinking. Couldn't you have asked Paradox to help Sheele and Mine?"

"I thought of that before." Ben revealed. "But with all that had happened, I thought it was best to let it go. Everything will go the way they should, I guess. Besides…" The teen hero raised his new Ultimatrix directly between their faces and grinned. "…I got the Ultimatrix again, so the bad guys better watch out."

Eunice huffed and then smiled. Ben could be cocky, but he was caring even in those moments. So the girl felt no doubt in the teen's words or his belief. With the Ultimatrix, just maybe the evil in the empire will come to an end.

_(LINE BREAK)_

The sun went down before nighttime finally casted itself. Somewhere far away in the Capital, Shura, the son of the Prime Minister, walked alone in the woods. He had suffered a humiliating defeat against Ben Tennyson just yesterday, which affected his ego and his pride. But that didn't deter him from what he had planned. He was wearing a black coat at the time, when he then came to a stop in clearing.

Just then, a familiar voice cooed as a lone feminine figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Aw, did the big bad wolf get hurt that bad?" She asked. Her name was Cosmina, and she was an affiliate of his.

Shura growled lowly. "Watch it, Cosmina."

Cosmina giggled and placed her fingers to her lips. She wasn't feeling threatened by the young tanned man, nor did she bother to speak. Anyway, she wasn't alone. Four more individuals walked out of the shadowy trees, revealing themselves in different sizes and shapes.

One of them who resembled that of a samurai then spoke. His name was Izou.

"I don't get it." He said. "Why didn't you summon us? I thought the plan was for all of us to outnumber the boy and defeat him, so we'll receive approval to function in the Capital. I would've enjoyed having Kousetsu have a taste of his blood." He added by patting his sword.

"You're disappointed?" asked another guy in group. He stood beside a big fat clown while portraying a sadistic look. His name was Enshin. "I know I am since I would've enjoyed seeing his dying breath."

"But he is cute though." Cosmina said. The girl then followed that by licking her lips sexually. "I wonder what he looks like with a scared look on his face! I bet it would turn me on in a heartbeat so much that I would want to have my way with him."

The little girl of the group said nothing. Instead she just glanced at Cosmina before turning to Shura with no response. As for the clown, he just chuckled with a creepy grin on his face.

"So…what now?" He finally said. His name was Champ.

"For now we fall back." Shura said with seriousness. The attitude his new group displayed just recently was nothing out of the ordinary for him. "The process I took to bring you all together was rushed, but worth it. However, the brat I faced has ruined our chance to return to the Capital and dominate it…for now."

"For now, you say?" Enshin asked.

Shura then raised his hand and tightened it into a fist. "Yes!" He answered. "Try as he might, that bastard shall pay for stalling us! I won't have us rush things into the Capital after the incident! But when the time's right…" A devilish grin then formed on his face. "…the hunt will be on. And our main focus shall be ridding this world of that boy, Ben Tennyson."

Everyone in the group smiled devilishly. As stated already, they had witnessed the fight with Ben and Shura and the Grand General of the empire. Thus, the only thing they felt was excitement and a sense of thrill for what was to come. Ben Tennyson had not seen what the worse of the Capital had to offer. The group known as the Wild Hunt has now placed him as their most important kill.

"I can hardly wait." The silent Dorothea finally said.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **And the Wild Hunt finally makes their debut! Too early? Well, that's to expect when Ben gets too involved. Originally, they were meant to join in on the fight, but I changed my mind on that for creative reasons. So what do you think of their debut? Please let me know in the reviews.**

 **If you haven't read the Akame ga kill manga, then you may not be aware of who are the Wild Hunt. They aren't my creation. They're characters that played a huge role in the manga by being the Capital's secret police. But just like how messed up their world is, they did some of the worse things you couldn't even imagine. So any detail about them can be looked up on google. Sorry I didn't describe them. Doing that would've made the chapter long.**

 **So yeah, the next chapter is going to return to the manga. Along with that, we'll get to see Ben once again use the Ultimatrix to fight and see how things go with the Three Beasts Warriors.**

 **By the way, if you didn't notice, Professor Paradox made a reference to my other fanfiction, Generator Rex: Stuck in the World of Titans. It's a Generator Rex and Attack on Titan crossover. So if you like any/both of those shows, then check the fanfic out. Paradox will make an appearance in it.**

 **Well that's all for now. I don't want to make this long. So until next time, stay awesome. Please! Be sure to review, favorite and keep following! It's your support through these things that help me to keep going!**


	28. Reconciliation, Rekindle and Build Up?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thanks for your support in the previous chapter! I'm now here to present another chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 28: Reconciliation, rekindle and…Build up?**

Day came to an end, and not long after it was nighttime. It was snowing though, as winter seemed around the corner or just already there. So within the hideout of the infamous group of assassins, most of their members were asleep. However, there was a few still awake.

Tatsumi had been troubled from sleeping. Of course, this was expected considering his best friend had died around that time yesterday. So he felt a lot of uneasiness and chose to head to the kitchen while wearing a black and white coat from his coat. In a way, it brought some nostalgia to him from his days at the village.

"Can't sleep at all…" He muttered. "Maybe some water will help."

Not long after, the teen arrived at the kitchen. However, he wasn't alone. Akame was inside and wearing a winter coat of her own to keep her warm. In her hand was a plate of fried meat as she now stared at the brown haired teen in front of her.

"That meat…" Tatsumi muttered. His eyes widened a bit as he recognized it. "…those are…Ieyasu's favorites."

"Yes." Akame admitted softly. "I recall when Ieyasu was with us that…this was his favorite."

Tatsumi became quiet, but also saddened. If he was correct, he had a feeling what Akame was doing with such.

' _An offering to the dead…'_ Tatsumi thought.

There wasn't really much the brown haired teen could say. He was trying not to let his best friend's death get to him too much. But now, here was a good reminder of the guy he once knew. It was really hard to keep from thinking about him now.

Anyway, Akame continued. 'Since we work in the shadows…Ieyasu's name will never be recorded in the history of the revolutionary army."

Tatsumi tightened his fist in spite. He knew this was true, but he just couldn't accept the fact that his best friend won't be remembered for the heroic thing he had done. However, now wasn't the time to contemplate on the issue. He continued to listen to Akame while masking his feelings.

"I know he was your best friend, but I would like to remember him too." Akame said. Unknown to the brown haired teen, though, her voice was getting quieter and sadder as she continued. "Ieyasu may have been brash and loud, but he exchanged his life for Mine and Sheele so they could live longer with us."

"I understand." Tatsumi replied. He held the collar of his coat and kept his voice down. "To be honest, I was kind of surprised Ieyasu did all that. He was awful when it came to maps and directions and he complained…especially when it came to Mine. But he went ahead and…did what he did. I guess I didn't even know my own best friend in the end…Sometimes I wonder what he would say if he was still here with us."

"I'm sorry." Akame apologized.

"No, it's fine." Tatsumi assured her. His thoughts, however, got the better of him as he continued. "But you're amazing, Akame."

Akame was confused. She didn't know what the teen meant. But then Tatsumi revealed it as his voice became sadder.

"Ieyasu may not have stayed with us for as long as I thought he would, but you keep composed even though one of our comrades has died. I guess you're used to it by now though…But me, I'm still…"

The plate Akame was holding fell to the ground. Of course, the sound of it breaking caught Tatsumi's attention. However, at the same time it surprised him as complete silence filled the air to the point that only the cold wisp from outside could be heard until Akame slowly marched over to Tatsumi with her head down.

"Stayed with us for as long…? Composed…? Used to it…?" Akame muttered, her voice slowly breaking.

"Akame?" Tatsumi questioned, confused. He was oblivious to what the girl was feeling.

But then it happened. Akame gripped his coat's collar and lifted him almost off the ground. Her head was still down, but for some reason she refused to show her face as she continued talking with her voice breaking.

"Sure enough…Ieyasu may have not been with us for as long as we would've wanted…I have seen many of my allies die before my eyes…However…" Tears finally began to build up from the girl's eyes, and so she finally lifted her head at her. Hence, what Tatsumi saw right there was something completely different.

Akame was crying with a lot of sorrow in her voice. It was basically like she was releasing all the emotions she had held back since.

" **One of our precious comrades died! No matter whether he was a long time member, he was our friend till the end! So even him dying doesn't make me ever get use to this kind of pain!"**

Tatsumi was completely taken aback. He didn't care how much the girl was gripping his coat. In fact, he slowly began to realize something about the female assassin as she continued to cry but with her head down.

" **But these feelings will have an impact on our next mission! So I go around acting like I'm just fine with it! We work in the shadows! What would I do if I couldn't flip this switch…?!"**

Tatsumi was still frozen on what to say. This was the first time he was hearing so much from Akame. But she continued anyway as her voice seemed to reach out to him more.

" **And you…?! He was your best friend! You and Ben feel more pain than the rest of us! So call this composed, but…what am I supposed to feel about his death?! How am I?! I…I just don't know!"**

Again, Tatsumi was silent. His ears and mind had absorbed all that had been taken as he stood quiet. However, he wasn't alone in this feeling because at the side of the kitchen's entrance Eunice stood at there with a sympathy look on her face,

' _This girl is supposed to be cold and ruthless…?'_ She questioned in doubt. _'I don't know about you, Azmuth, but…she sounds like someone I once was…A girl who's lost and trying to fit in a confused world.'_

Back at Akame and Tatsumi, the both of them were quiet. The snowy wind could be heard from inside despite the closed windows. But with this silence, Tatsumi finally came to a full realization as he stood there seemingly unnerved as Akame cried on his chest.

' _To think that Akame was still messed up about Ieyasu's death…That's right she was worried about me when I went for my first mission…What am I doing?! I'm such a fool!?'_

Finally, Tatsumi was beginning to understand. It brought him some form of grief though as he gritted his teeth and grabbed his hair with his fist.

' _Why am I losing my nerve like this?!'_ Tatsumi questioned in frustration. _'Nee-san already said it. Moping around won't bring Ieyasu back. I have to face forward like a man!'_

With that, he did the unexpected. He stretched out his hand and punched himself in the face with so much force that he almost fell. Of course, his action surprised Akame who watched as he fell to the ground.

' _Besides…'_ Tatsumi continued. _'…the reason Ieyasu and I began this dirty work was for the money. Money, so the people back home won't starve…Sayo died for that cause and Ieyasu has gone to rejoin her. We have people who we wanted to make happy…! And so…I'll carry Sayo and Ieyasu's wishes and I'll make sure their sacrifices weren't in vain! That's my promise to them now!'_

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Akame cried out. She was surprised by the action Tatsumi had taken upon himself. "Are you okay, Tatsumi?!"

Tatsumi stood up from the ground. His cheek hurt, but he didn't pay attention to it as he just rubbed it with his fist. "I was just flipping the switch. Don't worry about me. Anyway, I want to apologize, Akame. I was thoughtless, so I'll make you too a promise."

The teenage boy felt conviction and dedication burning in his heart. So without hesitation, he stood back on his feet with his fist extended to her.

"I will not die! I'll certainly stay alive! I'll never make you experience this pain!" He stated strongly.

Akame was surprised. She could already feel some tears about to pour out just from hearing Tatsumi strong and encouraging voice. Of course, these weren't tears of sadness, as these were more of happiness as she smiled.

"Tatsumi…" She muttered.

The teenage boy then grinned. "We'll make a new country…where we can always see everyone's happy faces."

"Yeah." Akame smiled and wiped the tears. "That's right."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Eunice walked away from the scene. She had seen enough, especially concerning how the two felt about everything. Now her point of view over Night Raid was completely changed as she clutched the coat she was wearing while in thought.

' _Before coming to this world, I just thought Night Raid were a group of merciless assassins…It was even that thought that made me pressure Azmuth to allow me to come here and assist Ben. I didn't want him to be corrupted by the evil…I just wanted him to remain the person I knew all that time long ago…But now that I see that…the way Tatsumi and Akame feel with the loss of their friend, I can't help but understand why Ben's so kind to them. Besides…now that the boy mentioned about being composed, I've seen something else…Ever since that boy, Ieyasu, died, Ben hasn't mentioned or moaned him. In fact…if anything…he seemed to be running away from it. That can't be good for his health. I have to talk to him.'_

Eunice soon made her way to Sheele's room. The reason for that was because Ben has been staying in the young woman's room more often than he should. So as she stood there, she raised her knuckle to knock on the door when she then heard footsteps from her left and turned to face it. Tatsumi was the cause of it.

"Tatsumi…?"

"Eunice…?" Tatsumi said back.

A few seconds of silence took over between the two. It wasn't odd nor was it awkward. But then again this was one of the few times the both of them had spoken to each other. Fortunately, Tatsumi was smart enough to pass over that silence as he gestured to the door Eunice was in front of.

"Ben…is he in there?" Tatsumi questioned.

"Yes." Eunice questioned. She then looked to the door with a sad look. "Ever since Sheele got injured he's been so focused on watching her it kind of surprises me."

"Kind of?" Tatsumi questioned. Now that he thought about it, he was actually standing in the presence of a person who knew the teen hero. But he felt awkward as he looked away. "By the way…how's Ben like in his world?"

Eunice turned to Tatsumi as he continued with a subtle voice.

"Ever since Ben's secret got out…I feel like I never knew the guy…but then he's in that room with Sheele and staying by her side. It makes me realize that maybe I did know something about him…His good nature, that is."

Eunice smiled and huffed through her nostrils. She could tell Tatsumi was being honest with himself even with the strife set between him and Ben. So she didn't mind to answer him as she held her hands together.

"Ben's a good person." Eunice said calmly. "Sure, he can be childish and cocky…and in some ways he may act inconsiderate of others feelings, but…from what I've seen, he always pays attention even if it looks like he doesn't. He always carries the weight of responsibility on him even though he shouldn't. I don't think he should, but…when I researched on his past I realized that despite he's seventeen, he's always carried this weight of a hero from the time he was ten years old…Believe me, Ben has gone through a lot of hardships that even I can't bear to say easily."

Tatsumi was quiet for a brief moment. He had heard what the blonde had said and honestly felt conflicted about it. Hence, he spoke.

"But he left us for Aria." He said. He also avoided eye contact as he continued. "With Sayo gone, we needed him more…But he just saved the girl who killed her and left like it was no big deal."

"Are you sure about that, Tatsumi?" Eunice questioned. Her tone, however, sounded rhetorical. "Like I said, Ben acts inconsiderate, but he pays attention even if it doesn't seem like he does. Besides…one other thing about Ben is this hero obligation. It doesn't matter if the person was good or evil; he's always willing to give that person a chance. He has a best friend who was a bad guy. But now they've gotten close. The guy's even dating Ben's cousin."

Tatsumi said nothing back. He still felt some confliction towards Ben. However, with Eunice's explanation, he also obtained some understanding of the teen hero he knew.

But the scene didn't stop there. Tatsumi was still silent, so Eunice decided to take her leave. Hence, she walked past him with a pat on his shoulder. She had one other thing to say before leaving.

"Just so you know, you're not the only one affected by Ieyasu's death. Ben saw it front and center. I wonder how that must have felt to see such an unforgettable scene."

Tatsumi's widened as his mind snapped out. For some reason, Eunice had actually dawned a realization on the teen.

' _That's right! Now that I think about it, Ben was actually there when Ieyasu died!'_

Now Tatsumi was pissed off. It wasn't at Ben, though, but at himself as he then punched the wall angrily. Eunice was gone now, so it was just him there.

' _Why have I been such an inconsiderate idiot?! First it was with Akame and now with Ben! In fact…now that I think about it, Ben hadn't come out of Sheele's room ever since that thing with that Paradox guy! He…He must be holding back the pain just like Akame was!'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

Ben let out a yawn as he was seated forward. Ever since he had been in Sheele's room, he had slept little and refused to leave unless it was to get water or some food. Sure, he had played out like nothing was going on with him, but at this point he wouldn't be surprised if Eunice and the others hadn't noticed his recent behavior.

"Men…I could really go for some chili fries." Ben breathed out in slight yearning.

That was another thing that sucked about this world. Besides the horrible tyranny going on this world also lacked any of the delights from his own world: junk food, video games, television. It was a wonder the place was so bad without wonderful things like that for people to enjoy.

Just then, a knock came from the door and got Ben's attention. However, it also surprised him considering what time it was.

' _Someone is awake by this time at night? Well…I know I shouldn't think that considering what I'm doing, but…still…'_ He thought.

The knock came again. It made it obvious that whoever was at the other side was trying to get him to answer. So he went ahead and did that.

"Come in." He said.

The door opened, but with a mild surprise. The person had been knocking wasn't Eunice, Aria or Leone that Ben figured would be worried about him. Instead it was Tatsumi opening and closing the door as he silently went to Ben's side.

' _Tatsumi? What's he doing here?'_ Ben questioned.

For a brief moment, Tatsumi said nothing. He didn't turn to face Ben nor did he even give him any attention. In fact his focus seemed to be at Sheele who was still unconscious and covered in a blanket to protect her from the cold.

"How's she doing?" Tatsumi asked.

Ben was a little bit taken aback by hearing Tatsumi's voice. It had been a long time since the two had talked so peacefully even if the concern was for another person instead.

"She's doing fine…" He said, turning to the unconscious young woman, "She's not awake yet, but nothing out of the ordinary has happened." He said.

"I see…" Tatsumi muttered. For some reason, however, he could feel his chest getting heavy until he sighed to let out the tension. Thus, he continued. "You know, Ben…this reminds me of that time you saved Sayo. You stayed by her side as Heatblast to let her feel warm even though it was obvious you felt some discomfort at first."

Ben was looking at Tatsumi. He didn't say anything as he was lost of what Tatsumi was trying to do. So the young assassin continued with his voice growing disappointed and sad.

"That is why…it was a surprise that night at Aria's mansion that you saved her when she's the reason Sayo is no longer with us." Tatsumi said.

Again, Ben said nothing. However, the fact that he looked down with saddened eyes showed how much of an emotional weight hearing that was. But then Tatsumi continued with his voice becoming straightforward.

"From then I felt…you couldn't be trusted. Heck, when you finally told everyone the truth about yourself, I still felt you couldn't be trusted. All this time…you were someone from another world and you kept it from us. But you know what's funny? Ieyasu didn't seem to care at all. I just thought he and I were on the same page and he hated you…when in reality he was just trying to be there for me."

Tatsumi then tightened his fist. At this point, it was obvious that he was becoming emotional, but not weak. His voice still seemed strong even though it sounded strained as he continued.

"Ieyasu…I feel he might have known he would die one day. I'm pretty sure that he understood what the risk of being a part of Night Raid was far longer than I did. But…what's more astonishing is what Mine told me. He didn't seem scared even when he said he was…In the end he was just thinking about me. His life didn't even seem important to him…He was just thinking about me."

Tatsumi became quiet immediately after. His talk with Akame had been comforting, but this was the first time he was grieving about his friend to someone that also knew that person as well. So even then, Ben understood his pain as he looked away and back at Sheele.

"Tatsumi…" Ben called. His voice was able to reach Tatsumi who finally looked at him. "Did Ieyasu use the Teigu from Zank the Beheader. I mean, it's the one I gave you guys. If so…then I guess I wasn't being delusional."

"Delusional…?" Tatsumi questioned. He thought over what Ben said before realizing what it was. _'Wait…Ieyasu actually spoke to him before his death? Like with telepathy? If so then…no, Ben could be lying, but at the same time he never knew Ieyasu had taken possession of the Teigu before it was destroyed. I wonder…what Ieyasu said to him.'_

Ben suddenly answered. It was like he read the teen's mind, though it really wasn't the case. But his heart felt heavy as his voice came out depressed.

"He thanked me for what happened that night…He felt that I gave him a second life to have a good experience with you and Night Raid…'

Now Ben felt like grieving. This was the actual first time he was speaking about that experience with witnessing Ieyasu's death. In fact it was so deeply touching that Ben actually began to leak out small tears as he looked to the ground.

"I just don't get it! He was dying! I failed him! I wouldn't mind if he blamed me the moment he was about to die! So why didn't he just hate me?! Why did he have to thank me?! I…I just don't know whyyyyy!?"

Tatsumi was now taken aback. This wasn't the Ben Tennyson he knew. But then again this might be a side of the teen hero that most people didn't know. Ben was actually feeling pain and this world was actually changing him even if he may act it's not. Now Tatsumi began to realize something about him.

' _These tears…This anger…This feeling of pain from him. There's no way he was lying.'_ Tatsumi thought in realization. From there his mind went back to what Eunice had told him. It made him feel spite and raise his hand at Ben who was still grieving. _'All this time…he was feeling the same pain…Akame was right. But…there's no changing it now…'_

With that, the teen did the unexpected. He grabbed Ben's coat by the shoulder and forced him to fall to the ground. Not surprising, it surprised Ben who looked at Tatsumi with tearful but shocked eyes.

"What the heck –"

"Just stop it, Tennyson!" Tatsumi cried out angrily. "Holding this much in you isn't something Ieyasu wanted! Sure, he may have had his regrets, but the fact he stayed with us a bit longer is the reason why he thanked you! He appreciated you and cared for you in the same, so don't spit on his last feelings like that and feel regret!"

"Tatsumi…" Ben said. He was lost for words as he stared at the teen.

"Besides…" Tatsumi said and seemed to calm down. "…I'm at fault too. I failed to realize you were hurting…because I just thought you didn't care. But now I see after all this time that…you really did care for us…whether you were lying or not. So, Ben, can I ask you something…"

The teen hero was surprised at what happened next. Tatsumi had his arm forward at him with his hand open as he had an encouraging smile.

"In a dream I had, Sayo said we should stop fighting…" He said. "I didn't think much on it, but perhaps it was really her spirit trying to reach us for the last time. So for her sake and Ieyasu's sacrifice, let's fix this rift between us and become friends again."

Ben said nothing at first. This was because he was amazed at how Tatsumi was in his presence. In fact, he recalled having a dream similar to the one Ieyasu just mentioned.

' _So…you had the same dream too, Tatsumi.'_ Ben thought.

Now the teen hero felt some peace within him. Tatsumi and he had been friends since the day they had met until that fateful night at Aria's mansion. But now, after a month and few weeks, the two of them were reconciling. So, of course, Ben accepted Tatsumi's offering arm and stood up still holding it.

"Friends." Ben smirked. "To be honest with you, I kind of missed the days I kicked your butt when you offered to spar with me."

Tatsumi chuckled. "Well I'm going to get much better so you better watch out."

Finally, the friendship between two young men had been fixed. It was fascinating as both teenagers were able to know they could rely on one another. No longer were they separated or divided because now they were back together with their friends in heaven happy that the conflict between the two had been resolved.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Ben drank some water from a cup he had been given. Tatsumi was now gone and the teen was staring at the door when he heard it closed. The other teen had gone off to sleep since the mental pressure he previously felt was off his chest. However, Ben wasn't okay with sleeping yet, so he decided to stay a bit longer in Sheele's room.

"Tatsumi sure is something." Ben commented as he walked to a table in the Sheele's room. "We were fighting for so long and now…it's all over. Maybe now I can go and get some actual sleep."

"Ben…?"

The teen hero froze instantly. That voice, he knew who it belonged despite not hearing from it for a long time. In fact, the reality that only he and Sheele were in the room was enough for his heart to sink. As such, he turned to the Sheele's direction and was almost in disbelief when he saw the young woman sitting up.

"Sheele!" Ben shouted in relief.

This feeling the teen hero felt was good. There was Sheele, after a whole day of unconsciousness was finally awake. So it didn't surprise the teen hero that he ran over to her side as she tried to move her lower body.

"I-I can't move my –"

"Hold on, Sheele, take it easy!" Ben said as assuring as he could. He was then quick to hold her by the shoulders and lay her back on the bed. "Take it easy. You took a bullet and have been unconscious for some time now."

"Oh…that's bad, right?" Sheele questioned. Then she sighed roughly and looked away. "I'm sorry. I can be an airhead sometimes."

"No, it's fine." Ben assured her. "Do you want some water and food? You haven't eaten for a long time now."

Sheele paused and looked away with a puzzling look on her face. In her defense, she had just woken up so she didn't really know what to think. So it was a good thing then that she did think of something as she turned back to Ben.

"Food and water would be nice." She mentioned.

"Okay. I'll get right on it." Ben replied.

The teen hero then lifted his Ultimatrix arm to his chest level. But then he paused as he reached to touch the familiar hourglass of the alien device.

' _Huh, now that I think about it. I haven't tested out the new Ultimatrix yet.'_ Ben thought.

The teen hero then went into action. His two fingers touched the face of the circle faceplate which then caused a cycle hologram of his alien faces to appear. He then selected through the playlist until he found the right alien and removed his hand. Hence, what happened then was that the hourglass symbol split apart and let the core of the alien device to pop up.

"Alright! It's hero –I mean, it's food and water services time!" Ben shouted. He did cringe at the messy battle cry though.

So with a slap on the alien device, Ben was engulfed by a flash of green light. He then began to feel his body changing as the transformation took its course. Of course, he was used to it all as his body became slimmer, grew a tail and a wheel under each of his foot. When the light died down, Ben stood as XLR8.

"Alright! I'll be back in a quickie." XLR8 said quickly.

Sheele didn't get all that, though. Maybe it was due to her being an airhead or the fact that she had just woken up from unconsciousness. Anyway, none of that mattered because XLR8 ran out of the room before a word could even be said. Sheele then had to wait a few seconds before the alien hero showed up again but this time holding a tray surprisingly well with his clipper-like hands.

"Alright, I'm back! Sorry, I was a bit late." XLR8 joked.

In response, Sheele just chuckled. She could tell from Ben's tone that he wasn't being serious. Besides, the fact that he had only been gone for a few seconds proved it. But then XLR8 momentarily placed the tray of food aside and quickly moved Sheele to sit up with the pillow under her back, thus giving her a better viewpoint. From there, XLR8 was engulfed by a flash of light before returning the hero back to human form as he picked the tray and placed it on Sheele's lap.

Sheele was surprised. She could see right below her that Ben had prepared some delicious treats for her, especially with the fact that one of it was her favorite treats.

"You can cook?" She questioned with curiosity.

"Well…" Ben said somewhat sheepishly. "…not really. I was just able to use XLR8 to cram what I could from Akame's cook books. Strangely enough, she had a list of you guys' favorite treats, so I just cooked up what I found and added whatever I could. Then I switched XLR8 with…and now I'm getting off topic, aren't I?"

Sheele said nothing, mainly because there was something already in her mouth. But still, Ben could tell by the confused look on her face that she was trying to catch on with what he was saying. Ben guessed that it had to do with the fact that she had just woken up, so even the little of detail shouldn't be given to her all at once.

"Anyway…" Ben said awkwardly. He didn't really know how else to react. So he began to turn away to leave. "I'll be going now. When everyone's up I'll let them know you're awake. They're gonna be so happy. Well goodnight."

The teen hero then made his way to the door. However, though Sheele was enjoying her food, she didn't want the teen to leave. As such, she swallowed what she had eaten and reached her hand out to Ben to stop him.

"Ben, wait –Argh!"

A sharp pain suddenly hit Sheele at the head. She didn't know why but it just happened and hurt so bad. In fact she had to clutch her hand to head out of reflex as Ben rushed over to her with deep concern.

"Sheele, you okay?! Are you hurt?!" Ben questioned quickly.

Sheele began to feel at ease. It seemed like the pain had just been for a moment. However, it did take much from her as she panted in response.

"I'm…fine. It was probably just a headache." Sheele said. Then she took a deep breath and let out a huff of air before smiling. "If Mine was here, she would probably say something like 'Don't get me so worried, Sheele'." Then she turned to the alien hero. "By the way, how are she and Ieyasu? I don't remember much of what happened. I guess I must have messed up back there, huh?"

Ben just made a fake chuckle. It didn't reveal the fact that he was taken aback by the realization that Sheele didn't know that Ieyasu was gone. Hence, the teen didn't focus on that yet. Instead he just smiled and sat back on the chair he previously was on.

"I wouldn't say you messed up. The fact that you care about those two says you're a compatible person to be with." Ben said with assurance. "So for now you just eat and rest. Tomorrow is another day and I'm pretty sure everyone would be happy to know you're okay, including Mine and Ieyasu."

"Right." Sheele smiled back.

_(LINE BREAK)_

A new day began with new activities going on. The secret residence of the nefarious group of assassins, Night Raid, was having their own ways in welcoming the day. So for Leone and Aria, they had something going on as both headed through the same passageway, particular heading to Sheele's room to meet a certain teen hero.

"What do you got there, Aria?" Leone asked. She was referring to a plate of delicious dishes which kind of made her hungry. "Akame just cooked breakfast, but I feel the need to have a taste of one of those."

"Hmph! Well they're not for you!" Aria snubbed her. "These are for Ben! He's been so worried about that lady that he'll probably skip breakfast all together."

"So…I can't have a taste?" Leone pestered.

In response, Aria just perked her head away from the female assassin and walked away from her faster. She didn't care about the young woman's hunger or the fact that her dish appeased her. Her only concern was Ben and his condition.

However, there was one thing about Leone that Aria didn't know. Hence, before the girl knew it, the young woman halted her by grabbing her shoulder while having a creepy smile on her face. Aria was confused and would've questioned her action, but Leone spoke.

"You know, this is the second time I'm talking to you." She said.

"Second time?" Aria was confused. However, for some reason, she could feel this odd dread in her as Leone tightened her grip on her slightly.

"Yup." Leone said. She then creepily lowered her mouth to the girl's ear. "If I remember, it was back when you were rich and crazy. I remember I held that pretty dress of yours just to stop you from running away. But now that I think about it…where were you going to go? If Ben hadn't been there…you wouldn't even be standing here…and I wouldn't be whispering these 'sweet' words to you."

Aria tried not to show her emotions. But she was failing, unfortunately. The way Leone was speaking was terrifying to her, especially as she could feel the young woman's breath so close to her ear.

"So…you're going to kill me now?" Aria questioned.

Leone laughed and let go of the fellow blonde. Then she walked passed Aria and turned to her.

"Let me be honest with you, Aria. I don't like you." Leone said. Then her eyes became cold and heartless as she fully faced the girl. "In fact, I hate your guts. You were part of the rich and psychotic scums that I want nothing more than to break every bone in their body. But you just got lucky."

"B-But I'm one of you guys now…right?"

"One of us?" Leone questioned. For obvious reasons, she then burst out in a short laughter before smiling crookedly. "You're kidding right?! The boss hasn't even approved of you! Besides, have you even thought of how Tatsumi would feel if he has to be teammates with the girl who tortured and killed one of his best friends?! Besides, the terms of Ben and the boss's agreement were that you'll be trained by us, not be a part of us! So just keep what I'm about to tell you in that skull of yours!"

Aria silently complied. She didn't want to, however the fear Leone had struck on her was very clear. Thus, with a serious look that could kill, Leone said. "The moment Ben dumps your ass; you better pray I'm not there…because I'll make sure you won't live to see the next minute after. We never called off the kill on you. So you better be cautious, little girl."

And so, Leone finished what she wanted. Aria was silent as she said nothing except showing that look of fear in her eyes. Hence, Leone turned away from the girl and began walking through the passageway with her hand then flipped at Aria's direction.

"By the way, I'm going to meet Ben first. You can show up after I leave." She said.

Again, Aria said nothing. In fact, by this point she was whimpering as tears fell down her cheeks. Leone had just made her realized something and it scared her. Hence, the plate she had in her hand fell to the ground and broke as she began to feel alone.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Sleeping was nice, especially in the day. Maybe it's just a human thing or just an opinion of a writer working on a story. But still, that didn't change the fact that what Leone saw upon entering Sheele's room put a toothy smile on her face.

"Well…isn't this adorable?" She said slyly.

Right now Ben and Sheele were sleeping. However, the position they were in wasn't something one would consider appropriate. Ben was lying with Sheele on her bed with his head on her busty chest. At the same time, Sheele's arm was on the teen's stomach which was slightly exposed due to his shirt rising up.

For the two sleepers, it was unknown how long they had been in such a position. But Leone said nothing yet as she just snickered at the scene before her. Hence, she watched as Ben moaned sleepily in his sleep and unconsciously raised his hand onto the purple haired girl's other breast.

Now Leone couldn't contain her grin over the moment.

"So you're not just into blondes huh, Benny boy?!" Leone shouted.

Ben sleepily woke up. He was confused, though, as he could only recognize her voice but not interpret what she said at that time. So he turned to her with that sleepy confused look on his face.

"Leone?"

Leone's grinned slyly as she then grabbed her busty chest. "But I got to say, if you really wanted to lie down on something like these, you could've asked."

"Could've asked…? What?"

Then it clicked on the confused superhero. He realized his head was lying on something too soft to be a pillow. As such, he screamed in shock and rolled out of the bed and fell to the ground. Leone laughed in response while Sheele finally woke up as she rubbed her eyes.

"Good morning." She greeted sleepily.

Leone calmed herself and smiled at Sheele. "So you really are awake. I figured with the change of your position that you were okay. Welcome back to the land of the living, Sheele."

"Leone…" Sheele said and smiled. "Yeah, it's nice to be back."

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **NIGHTR RAID'S TRAINING GROUND**

Tatsumi let out a battle cry as he pulled his sword to his side with both hands on it as he headed for Akame. For time now, the both of them had been training as even Eunice had noticed as she sat on the boardwalk, watching the fight going on. It was a first to see, so in a way she enjoyed the skills displayed by both Akame and Tatsumi.

However, there was one thing she saw was at fault. Tatsumi was trying really hard, and even Akame noticed as she sent the teenage boy skidding back with a swing of her katana against the teen's blade.

"Shouldn't you take a short break, Tatsumi?" Akame questioned with concern.

Tatsumi panted, but got back on his feet. It was true that he had kept going despite how much a rest was necessary. But the teen was still determined as he faced her again.

"Why would I want a break?" Tatsumi questioned back rhetorically. "I told you, didn't I?" Come at me as if it's a real life or threat fight."

Eunice objected. "I don't think that's a wise choice, Tatsumi." She said. "Whether you like it or not, Akame could cut you down in seconds if that's the scenario."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Tatsumi yelled at her. He wasn't really being mean to her; Eunice could tell her was just being defensive. "Besides, why are you even here?! I didn't think you would want to be away from Ben for so long!"

"I got bored." Eunice simply shrugged.

Tatsumi just growled in annoyance. He just wanted to be focused on his training. As such, he just scoffed and turned to Akame, unaware of what was to happen next. He was suddenly punched in the face and sent falling to the ground. Eunice was surprised as she saw who had been the cause.

"Bulat?! You hit him!" She shouted.

"Yeah, what the hell, bro!?" Tatsumi yelled from sitting on the ground.

Bulat was calm, which wasn't surprising. As for why he suddenly attacked Tatsumi, he answered it with some coolness in his voice.

"In a fight he should mind his surroundings." Bulat said to Eunice. "After all, you never know where an enemy may attack from, right?"

Eunice paused and gave it a thought. Bulat actually made sense now that she recalled a time where she had been caught off guard by an enemy attack. A flashback to when she had to deal with Spidermonkey's species came to mind.

"Yeah, you're right." She said.

So while the girl was fine with it, Tatsumi wasn't doing so good. Bulat was right about what he just mentioned, but in the end it just seemed to stress the teen a little bit. Fortunately, Bulat had noticed his attitude ever since coming to the training ground.

"You're more fired up than usual, eh? What's up?" He asked coolly.

Tatsumi paused as he got back to his feet. He wasn't going to let a weakness in his little experience in battle hold him back. Thus, he stood back up dirtied but fine and with a determined look on his face.

"Nothing…I just want to hurry and level up my abilities. I made a promise to Akame that I would definitely survive."

Akame was astonished with the same for Eunice. For the both of them, hearing the young teen say that reminded them of what happened last night. It was appreciating so it didn't come as a surprise to any of them that they were almost lost for words.

Meanwhile, Bulat seemed impressed. He could already see a strong future waiting for Tatsumi. However, before he could say anything, Lubbock rushed to the room in haste and with an excited look on his face.

"Everyone! Drop what you're doing and hear this!" Lubbock shouted.

Everyone in the training room did what he said and now had their attention at him. Lubbock can be a perverted idiot, but he was someone who wouldn't drag people's attention unless it was something very important.

"Sheele…She's finally awake!"

Akame, Tatsumi, Eunice and Bulat were surprised to hear this. At the same time, they were happy and relieved to know the good news as seen by their different face expressions. So, not surprising, Akame seethed her Teigu and ran off with Eunice and Lubbock following right after. Tatsumi would've then followed but Bulat caught him by placing his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Before we go, there's something I want to say." Bulat said to the teen. He then pointed at himself with a cool grin. "If you want to get stronger that badly then come hang out with me later! I'll show you some stuff!"

Tatsumi smirked and nodded in response. "I will…bro."

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **OUTSIDE NIGHT RAID HIDEOUT**

Walking on his, Ben went through the forest with his hands in his pocket. He was no longer wearing his jacket as right then he seemed to be in thought with a small smile on his face.

"I bet everyone is gathering around Sheele right now…" He said fondly. "I probably should have told Eunice and Aria that I'm going to take a ride with the Time Cycle. Oh well, can't change that now."

And so, the teen hero continued walking. He didn't go far from the hideout because what he was looking for was close by. So upon getting to a place where a pond was located, he noticed someone sitting by one of the rocks by the pond with her blonde hair covering her face from his face. But Ben could recognize her just from her dress and body size.

"Aria…is that you?" He asked.

Aria was surprised to hear Ben's voice. In fact it showed on her face as she turned to the teen only to show tearful eyes.

"Ben?!"

Now the teen hero was surprised. From his position, he could see that Aria's eyes were red from crying. But if that wasn't enough, the girl turned away and wiped her eyes quickly as she realized what the boy had seen.

"I'm so sorry! You weren't meant to see that!" She said.

However, Ben didn't take that response well. He became concerned and ran to the girl's side, where he then looked down on her.

"Hey! What happened?! Are you hurt?!" He questioned.

Aria paused and looked away. She didn't want to cry again. At the same time she didn't want to be bothered with such questions.

"Just…let it go." She said.

"Aria, I –"

Aria interrupted him and glared at him angrily. "Just let it go okay?! I don't want to talk about it!"

Ben was surprised and a bit taken aback. Aria had yelled at him before, but that had been a long time ago. Fortunately, he understood her feelings and placed his hands by his sides.

"I…understand. Sorry." He apologized.

"Thank you." Aria replied. She looked back at the pond and then became quiet. Then she spoke with a softer but curious voice. "By the way…I've been wondering if you don't mind. Do you think I'll pay for the crimes I did…because let's face it, they can't be forgiven and you know that. Then there's the fact that you requested Night Raid to train me when it's obvious most of them won't like having me around…It was their job to kill me, after all."

' _So that's what this is about.'_ Ben thought subtly. _'But now that I think about it, Aria would have to pay for her crimes…It's just that the justice system isn't fair enough to give her a good trial. Anyway, I should say something. It's obvious the tension from Night Raid is getting to her.'_

"Aria…" The teen hero finally said. "You're right to feel the way you do. But right now…I think you should focus on what you really what to do."

The blonde girl turned to Ben. She was confused on what he meant as she just stared at him.

"What…I want to do?" She questioned.

"Yes." Ben nodded firmly. Then he turned to the girl with his fist raised at her and a determined smirk on his face. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what you promised me back then when you burnt down your old home's shed. You want to take down the empire, right? Then don't feel doubt! Train hard and fight and live up to that promise!"

Aria was astonished. The boy in front of her didn't seem like the Ben Tennyson she knew. In fact, his aura and the brightening light seemingly behind him made him seem different. So it happened then that Aria smiled and let a tear slide down her cheek.

' _He really is too good for me huh…'_ Aria determined already. That wasn't to say she was sad about it, though. If anything she accepted it as she widened that smile on her face. "Yeah…you're right, Ben. Thank you." She said happily.

"Right." Ben nodded.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **FEW MINUTES LATER**

 **MILES AWAY FROM THE CAPITAL AND NIGHT RAID HIDEOUT**

Somewhere far from the Capital, there was light weather of snow and then there was blood. The road was covered with corpses of men cut in two as the carriage they had escorted was now in the mercy of the famous deadly trio, The Three Beast Warriors.

Besides the men, a young girl named Spear had been the only one to survive. She wore a weather dress with a Russian-like hat on her head. But her condition wasn't good. She escaped death, but a cut was across her stomach. Now she knelt down, clutching wound as the little one of the Three Beasts approached her.

"Not bad, Onee-chan."

Nyau was intrigued by Spear, as well as amused. Hence, he knelt right before her with a smirk and his hand under his chin. "You're pretty skilled to have escaped a killing blow from Darada's attack." He amused.

Then the threat to her life came. The teen pulled out a blade from his coat. "But consider what I'm going to do to you. I'm pretty sure you'll wish you'd been cut in half."

Meanwhile, the former Prime Minister, Spear's father, was in trouble as well. He was thrown out of his carriage by Liver, the oldest but yet very fit, to the ground. Now the former Prime minister was lying on the ground with fear as Liver stood before him.

"Y-You're soldiers and officers of the empire!" The Prime Minister shouted.

"Correct!" Liver then took a bow. "I am a great admirer of your political works, sir."

The former prime minister then pointed at the man with fear in his eyes. "Th-then why are you coming after me?!"

"Because, above all…" The guy answered, touching his own wrist to pull out a blade.

However, something sudden then caught his attention. The same was for Nyau and Darada as they too heard something approaching. But by then they couldn't identify what it was, mainly because of its unknown appearance.

An unknown creature was rolling towards their location in a fast pace. It seemed to have a shell of an armadillo, though the color of it was yellow and black stripes. Also there was the fact that it was about nine feet tall and fast that differ it from an actual armadillo.

Anyway, the presence of this approaching creature seemed to have stalled what seemed to be the inevitable.

"What the hell is that?" Darada questioned. His Teigu, a double-bladed axe, was in his hand as he watched the thing approaching.

"I don't know, but…" Nyau said. Then his eyes widened as he saw it was approaching him. "It's coming for me!"

Darada smirked upon seeing the creature coming close. Nyau was right; the unknown thing was coming for him. However, Darada's curiosity and taste of blood led him to jump and then land between Nyau and the rolling creature.

"Then I guess I'll just have to cut it open!" He shouted with evil intent.

Hence, the member of the Three Beast swung his axe. However, he missed despite being seemingly close to the approaching creature. This was because the rolling being changed direction and headed for Liver who was surprised but quick to jump out of the way. The former prime minister then screamed as he thought he was the target.

But then something surprised the old man. The unknown being made a U-turn away from him and made its way back to Nyau again with intent yet unknown. Nyau didn't like it though, but he felt some spite as he saw the thing coming for him as he stood up. Darada intervened though, as he got between the both and swung his Teigu at the creature.

"I've got you now!" He shouted.

The Three Beast member was right. From their respective positions, there was no way the creature could escape. But then the thing was engulfed by a flash of light which distracted the bulky and muscular men. Hence, the next thing he received was a kick to the face that sent him to the ground while his attacker landed on the ground.

"What the…Who are you?!" Nyau shouted.

The attacker punched him in the face. He didn't seem in the mood to answer at the time. But now that Spear got a good look of him, she could tell who he was as his strange number '10' shirt showed and his half-gauntlet device on his wrist.

' _That hourglass symbol…and that face from the wanted posters. I've seen them. He's –'_

"The name is Ben Tennyson." Ben said with determination. "And you guys are in for a world of hurt."

Darada chuckled with a devilish grin as he stood up. He knew that name well, as well as his own teammates. Hence, while Nyau was annoyed as he rubbed his face and got up, Liver seemed intrigued as he watched the hero. Ben was cornered by the Three Beast Warrior in a tilted triangle position.

"Ben Tennyson…" Spear finally found the voice to speak.

Liver seemed intrigued. "Ah, so you're the young man I heard." He said. Then his eyes moved to a suspicious way. "Tell me, young man, is it true you fought the great Grand General of the Imperial army?"

"Fought and won." Ben corrected the guy while having his trademark confident smirk.

"Kuku…" Darada said. Now he was feeling excited as he tightened his grip on his axe, ready to battle. "So you're that kid huh? This was a little expected, but I'll admit a part of me wanted to fight you. When you think about it, killing someone such as yourself would earn me a bunch of unbelievable points."

Nyau snarled. He removed his hand from his face and pulled out his Teigu, a flute. "I was about to cut out that cute onee-san's face! I guess you're face would just have to do before I get to her!"

Now it was very much clear. A battle was about to commence between these combatants with a turn-out yet unknown. Spear and her father could only watch and see what would become of their fate because it was now in Ben Tennyson's hands.

"Oh you'll be getting plenty of my face when it becomes the thing that's stuck in your minds after the butt kicking I'm about to dish out on you three dunces." Ben remarked while flexing his fingers for battle.

It was time to show these so called Beasts what a real fighter can do.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **The chapter of feels is now over! It is time for Ben to go up against the Three Beasts Warriors! Will he win? Would you prevent more deaths? Read the next chapter to find out!**

 **Originally, this chapter was set to just have the battle with Ben and the Three Beasts. But then I got really into the feel-making scenes you just read. So since that's over with, the next chapter will go back to the manga. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will have Ben turn into an ultimate, so look forward to that!**

 **By the way, this chapter was a conclusion to a lot of buildup. That includes the relationship between Ben and Tatsumi, Ieyasu's death and the dream Ben, Ieyasu and Tatsumi had. Hoped you enjoyed it! I'm not like some writers who just rush the process. As for those who are still going on about Aria's past, this chapter now addresses it and will be a buildup to something else.**

 **Please be sure to review, and if you haven't favorite and followed then please do that too! I'll get the next chapter up soon! Bye!**


	29. Encounter, An Orphan and An alliance?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to another exciting chapter of **Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?**

Thank you so much for the reviews in the previous chapter! I appreciate all the ways you guys support this story either by favorite or following.

Anyway, sadly this chapter won't go back to the manga. This is because I kind of underestimated how long one scene would be.

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 29: Encounter, An Orphan and…An alliance?**

 **FEW MINUTES AGO** , **A FEW MILES AWAY FROM NIGHT RAID HIDEOUT**

After talking with Aria, the teen pulled out a small diamond shaped blur device and pressed a button which then made a strange beep. The sound got Aria's attention as she stood up, facing the hero.

"What was that?" Aria asked.

"Oh this?" Ben questioned, raising the device in his hand. "This is the key to the Time Cycle. It should be here right about –"

A loud zoom was heard, following by a certain advanced alien vehicle appearing next to Ben. Its speed was remarkable, as Aria didn't even see it coming. But that didn't change Ben's mood as he just smiled and touched the glass, causing it to rise and open for him to enter the vehicle.

"Cool isn't it?" Ben questioned rhetorically. "The last time I had this piece of awesomeness was when I traveled to the moment before my universe was created. It was crazy, but everything worked out in the end. Weirdly…" The teen paused and turned to Aria. "…that was during the first time war. You remember what Paradox said about the present one, right?"

"Yes, I do." Aria nodded. She did indeed remember what the time-traveller had said.

Just then, a ringing came from the Time Cycle. It caught Ben's attention and made him turn to the control screen where he saw a map with a flashing red dot. At a small box at the corner of the screen it said ' **Danger: Enemy Forces closing in! Time Cycle user's attention urgently needed!** '

"That doesn't sound good." Ben commented. His instinct immediately drove him to climb on top of the bike. However, before he could do anything else, Aria called out to him and began running to him.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Is something wrong with your…thingie?"

"Uh, no." Ben answered. At the same time, he tried not to laugh from when she said thingie. "It's just that…something bad is going down somewhere. The Time Cycle never had this before, so I'm willing to bet Paradox installed this. In other words, I can't let whatever it is to fly by."

"Then let me come with you!" Aria strongly insisted. "I-I know I'm not strong enough, but at least let me keep you company!"

Ben paused and glanced at the screen. Time was wasting and he didn't want anyone to die. So in a moment of frustration, he turned to Aria and just gestured to his back.

"Get on!" He approved.

Aria nodded and went to sit at his back. However, she paused for a moment when she realized her dress would keep her from sitting in the same manner as Ben. Fortunately, she was then able to rise her dress up - though she felt a bit embarrassed - before climbing on the bike. Not long after, the Time Cycle's glass closed above them and Ben leaned forward with a serious look.

"Hang on to me! We're going to be really fast!" Ben informed her.

Aria quickly complied and put her arms around the teen's waist. For a second, though, she blushed but closed her eyes. It was from there that the Time Cycle powered up and drove them away, heading to the direction it had indicated.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **PRESENT TIME**

Snow was cold, but it was sometimes fun to play with. Ben has, in his years, played with snow even at an age where he shouldn't. However, now wasn't the time for games or to be told off for playing in the snow. No, it was time for battle against General Esdeath's formidable bodyguards, the Three Beast Warriors.

The Three Beast Warriors were not to be underestimated. Despite one of them being a teenager, they were very bloodthirsty and cruel if given the chance or ordered to. They also specialized in many ways to kill with each of them having their own ways in dealing with an enemy. They didn't care about causalities nor did they care about the status of others. As long as Esdeath ordered them, they would fight and kill even if their lives are on the line.

So right in that moment, it was life and death. Spear and her father had almost been killed off if not that Ben had shown up in the nick of time. Now it was just him and the Three Beast Warriors, with the former's hand close to the alien device on his wrist.

' _Good thing I got here and didn't bring Aria. The Time Cycle is parked a mile away from here so she should be fine on her on. Now to deal with this –'_

Ben was cut off when he saw Daidara coming for him. The wielder of the Teigu, Belvacc, was the wildest of the trio, so his bloodlust was what drove him to attack. Fortunately, Ben was quick to jump back a few feet and raise his hand above the Ultimatrix. The alien device responded by revealing its core for Ben to slap down on.

"What's the matter, boy?! Got something on your mind?!" Daidara yelled with a snickering grin. "I could've cut you down in that moment, you know, but I chose to hold myself back a bit! You're the famous Ben Tennyson, are you not?! I want major points, so give me the thrill of a real battle while you're still breathing!"

Ben only responded with a small stern. He hated to admit it, but Daidara was right. These bodyguards of the known Ice Queen were remarkably fast in combat and far exceeded Ben's human capability. Hence, Ben had to fight but not before he had to transform.

"Got to say, you talk too much and that's coming from a guy like me! But if you want a butt kicking that bad then I guess I just have to give it to you!"

With that, the teen slammed the Ultimatrix's core. He was engulfed in a flash of green light as the transformation occurred in mere seconds. Hence, when the light died down, Ben stood as a ten foot tall humanoid beast with yellow and black fur with two bolts on his hands, green eyes with black pupils and lightning shaped horns. The Ultimatrix symbol was located at the middle of a green and white belt.

" **SHOCKSQUATCH!"** He bellowed. Then he raised his hand close to his chest and looked down on them. **"Not bad, Ultimatrix! Now we're talking!"**

Just then, Shocksquatch heard something fast coming. It was someone coming for him, and not too surprising it was Daidara. The excited and bloodthirsty Three Beast member was eager upon seeing the alien Ben had turned into. Fortunately, Ben was quick to react as he stretched his arms apart a bit and let out a blast of yellow electricity all around. This electricity functioned as a form of electricity dome which forced Daidara back, but not down.

Now Daidara was more excited. He snickered as he looked at the alien hero which clutching his Teigu in his hand. At the same time, Shocksquatch just glared at him and began charging up his own arm.

" **You want points eh? Well how about voltages of electricity?! I hear it's such a shock to not to experience!"**

Shocksquatch then punched his fist into the ground. Hence, a wave of yellow lightning was sent heading Daidara's way. The Three Beast Warrior's member was in danger, but he didn't even flinch. Instead he just waited for a few last seconds before jumping up into the air, avoiding the attack in the process. Then, while in the air, he drew his double-bladed axe back for a throw.

"Not good in battle are you?!" He shouted.

Shocksquatch quickly reacted. This was because Daidara threw his axe down on the teen hero in an attempt to cut him open. Fortunately, the alien hero jumped back and saw the weapon hit the snowy ground. But then Daidara came and marched on his chest, sending the teen to the ground on his back.

Daidara then picked up his axe. He was still into fighting the alien hero. As such, he turned over to Shocksquatch who was then standing up.

"Come on, boy! That can't be all you have! I need major points here!" Daidara stated eagerly.

" **Can you just shut up about points?! Geez that's getting annoying, I mean what do you think this is a video game or something!"** Shocksquatch yelled angrily. His mood was also shown as yellow electricity then charged up all over his body, making his fur to stand. **"But I got better things to do, so let's wrap this up!"**

Daidara said nothing except responding with that snickering look on his face. He then followed this by separating his axe, making them a one-bladed weapon instead. From there, both Shocksquatch and Daidara charged at each other before finally meeting.

Shocksquatch swung a punch at Daidara, who in response ducked and came back up. The alien hero then tried again by swinging that same punch back at the deadly enemy. However, Daidara dodged again before the alien hero turned to him and attempted to grab him. It failed, though, as Daidara jumped back and looked back at the alien hero. Something didn't seem right.

" **Why you dodging, brain-for-brawns!? I thought you wanted a fight?!"** Shocksquatch questioned.

Daidara said nothing as he stood up straight. Of course, his grin never faded as he just stared at Ben with lack of pupils in his eyes.

"Do you even know who are we?" Daidara questioned rhetorically.

 **"A violent and crazy version of the three stooges. Either way I do know one thing! You're in for a bunch of butt-kicking's!"** Shocksquatch responded with a slam of both his fists together.

Daidara laughed in response. Ben's comment amused him and made the hero feel more foolish. As such he calmed down and smiled widely. "Then you'll die here." He said. His next move was then to put his axes back into one weapon before lifting it over his shoulder. "We are Esdeath-sama's best, the Three Beast Warriors! We've hunt down Teigu users and executed countless innocents without a blink of an issue! To go against us is to face death!"

" **Ha! Hate to break it to you, but I'm not scared of you! I've beaten bigger fishes, just so you know!"**

"Is that so?" Liver questioned.

The well-mannered and sophisticated member of the Three Beasts was heading over to the former Prime Minister and that moment, the old man was holding his daughter, having gone to her sometime during Ben's fight with Daidara. Unfortunately, Liver now was before them as he pulled out a blade from his sleeve and raised it up. His face wasn't at Shocksqautch, but it was clear he was still talking to the teen.

"If one engages in battle with a foe without knowing his strength and weaknesses, then his chances of victory are slim." He said calmly. "Not that is doesn't matter, but information is key. Now, to accomplish what Esdeath-sama ordered we to do may you the former prime minister, and your daughter rest in peace."

" **No!"** Shocksqautch shouted.

Time was running out, and he had to act fast. However, when he turned completely to stop the killer man, he suddenly heard a melody from a flute that was then followed with his body stiffing and his electricity shutting down.

"Wh-What the heck?! I can't move!" Shocksqautch said in alarm.

Daidara huffed and looked to Nyau. It turns out then that the youngest of the trio of killers was the cause. His Teigu, Scream, was being played by him as it had an effect on Ben alone.

"Good work, Nyau!" Daidara said. His next move was then to separate his axe again and hold both tightly in his hands as he turned his attention at Shocksqautch's back. "This is where the fun begins! Try to scream as much as you can!"

Shocksquatch could say nothing, thus he could do nothing. Daidara knew this before charging at the alien hero. Hence, with a slash of his blade, he sliced right across Shocksqautch's back and heard the hero scream out in pain. Red blood shot out as a result as Daidara's blade was covered with it.

However, it wasn't over yet. Daidara went over to Shocksqautch's front where he then sliced downward across his chest and stomach. The pain was so bad that the alien fell on his knees just as Nyau stopped playing his flute. The Ultimatrix immediately timed out afterwards and changed the teen back to normal.

"Hold it!" Nyau shouted. "I want a piece of him too!"

Daidara chuckled and raised his twin blades to both sides of Ben's neck. The teen still couldn't move so he could only stare at the muscular man with a glare. But that didn't stop the enjoyment the killer was feeling.

"Hate to break it to you, but this is mine, Nyau! It's first come and first serve! But don't worry, I'll make sure his face isn't too bloody!"

Nyau sighed in mild disappointment. "It's not the same if he's not alive." He said. Then he turned over to Liver. "Liver-sama, at least let me have the onee-san. I was rudely interrupted before."

"Hm, I'll permit it." Liver said.

With that, the older man was about to take a life. While at that, Daidara prepared to behead the teen hero with his blades. It seemed it was over as Spear and her father could say nothing. The man knew he was a target, so there were no evading things right now.

"Wait, don't do this!" Ben shouted. His life was on the line, but he could still speak despite the rest of his body not responding. "Do what you want with me! Just let them go!"

"Admirable…" Liver commented. Then he brought his blade down for the former prime minister's neck. "…but there's only so little that mentality will get you at."

"NO!" Ben shouted.

There was nothing that could be done. The former prime minister closed his eyes while Spear shouted "father" to him. She was about to witness the man she owed her life to die before her.

But then something unexpected happened. A snow ball hit Liver's face which startled him and caused him to miss by a few inches from the former prime minister's neck. Daidara and Nyau were also surprised and turned to the cause, with Ben, the former prime minister and Spear looking to the direction the snow ball came from.

Aria had made it at the nick of time. She was standing on her own, having thrown the snowball that had hit Liver. Nyau was surprised, but not because of the snowball. No, it was due to the fact that he recognized her.

"Aria…san." He muttered.

"Aria! Get away from here!" Ben warned her. He was about to add something, but then noticed something. He could move his fingers, which meant his body was now responsive to him.

However, the Three Beasts were still standing. Nyau, for some reason, became angry as he growled and charged at Aria, who stepped back and was surprised at who was coming for her.

"Nyau!?" She questioned.

"Die!" Nyau shouted in anger.

The distance between the two was closing fast. Aria tried to run away though, but Nyau wouldn't have it. As such, he jumped at her and knocked her to the ground which then led him to be on top of her with his flute ready to strike down on her.

"I…I'm going to kill you!" He yelled angrily.

The anger in Nyau was almost uncommon for the Three Beasts Warriors. His fellow members could tell something was wrong with their youngest member. But then Ben used that chance to pick a good alien and slam on the core and transform. Hence, when the light died down, he was Big Chill and still kneeling.

" **Big Chill!"** He called out.

Daidara immediately turned back to the alien hero. He was a bit surprised at his transformation, but not enough to stop him. As such, he swung his axes on to the alien hero, expecting to kill the teen. But then the alien hero phased right into the ground, avoiding it.

"Shit!" Daidara cursed.

Back at Nyau, he brought his flute directly down for Aria's heart. He was so close to him, but then someone intervened. Big Chill seemingly emerged from Aria's body and grabbed the blonde teen by the neck. From there, he flew up into the air a bit before then throwing him against Liver, who in response quickly moved out of the way. Nyau ended up hitting the snowy ground instead.

" **Are you alright?"** Big Chill asked. He landed right in front of Aria, looking at her with some concern even though his face expression couldn't change.

"Yes, I- Look out!" Aria warned.

Big Chill quickly turned back, but not enough to block. Daidara had come for the alien hero and slice right through his abdomen, grinning as he was now behind him.

"This is the end of you, kid! No hard feelings!" He said crookedly.

" **Thanks, but…"**

Daidara's eyes widened. Big Chill should've been dead. However, when he turned to the alien hero, he was standing just fine.

"… **I can't say the same for you!"**

Big Chill then went on the offensive. He punched Daidara right in the face, sending the man flying some feet away. Daidara hit the ground on his back, but it wasn't over. This was because Big Chill then phased into the ground and came out almost immediately below Daidara. So by lifting the guy off, the alien hero flew high in the air before throwing the man down to the ground.

Daidara could not stop what was the come. As such, he crashed to the snowy ground, which then scattered due to the impact. Both Liver and Nyau were shocked to see their comrade defeated and unconscious.

" **One down, two more to beat up."**

Both Liver and Nyau turned to their front. Big Chill had now landed before them with his wings spread out.

" **Give up while you still have the chance! But if you don't then that's fine with me! The more I get to beat you guys, the merrier it gets!"**

Nyau growled in response. He didn't like Big Chill's attitude, especially after beating one of their own. Hence, he moved his flute to his lips, where he was ready to play.

"Don't get so cocky! I'll have you begging on your knees again!" He shouted.

Big Chill couldn't stop the teenage boy. As a result, he began to feel numb when Nyau began to play his flute.

"This...is…No, I can't let this happen!" Big Chill stated in the best way he could.

If Big Chill was incapable of speaking well, then fight would be impossible. Liver was already in position to execute the alien hero as he faced him. The sophisticated killer didn't say anything though, as he just took that chance to charge at Big Chill. Recent events had taught him that anymore talking would just give the hero a chance.

Fortunately, Big Chill wasn't down yet. His body might be immobilized from the flutes powers but his mind and will where still going strong which he used to activate his intangibility and allow gravity to pull him down below the ground where the sounds of the teigu couldn't reach him anymore. This surprised Liver who then came to a stop immediately after that and turned over to Nyau in alarm.

"Nyau! Get out of there! He's coming for you!" Liver warned quickly.

Nyau did as told. He jumped back and was able to avoid Big Chill when he emerged from the snowy grown he once stood on. Liver was then quick enough to charge at the alien hero whom he expected he could cut down before he could turn his attention at him. However, even after slashing at Big Chill, he ended up just going pass him.

But Liver didn't give up. He did a swift turn at Big Chill, whom he then slashed at again. Big Chill responded by letting the weapon go through him unharmed again. Then, with a swing of his hand, the alien hero tried to backhand the killer. He failed, however, as Liver jumped back and just in time. Nyau started playing, which made Big Chill to grip his head just to block out the sound.

Now Big Chill was reaching his limit. He quickly shot ice from his mouth to hit Nyau, but failed. This was because Nyau reacted quickly by jumping back while still playing his flute. But Big Chill didn't give up. He kept trying to hit Nyau with his ice breath, with each becoming more desperate than the other. However, Nyau was as agile as his size would suggest as he dodged each attack while still continuing to play his flute.

 **"** ** _I…can't keep up with this."_** Big Chill said in his mind. _'_ _ **Each second he's playing that thing, I feel my body weakening further! I guess I have no choice!'**_

" **TIME TO GO ULTIMATE!"** Big Chill cried out.

Big Chill then stretched his arms apart. A few seconds was left before he was a full victim of Nyau's Teigu, hence he reached his hand to the Ultimatrix symbol on his waist belt and pressed on it. Four spikes then suddenly emerged from the sides of the alien device before a wash of green light went over Big Chill.

What happened to the alien hero from there on was surprising. Liver, Nyau, Spear, her father and Aria watched as Ben's blue color alerted by a wash of green light going all over his body. Now he had a fiery red design with red crests over his eyes while his green eyes remained the same.

" **You handled Big Chill, but let's see what you got against ULTIMATE BIG CHILL!"**

' _Ultimate?'_ Liver questioned. He was intrigued and yet concerned about the new appearance. _'A magnificent creature, that is. So this must be his Trump Card. We'll have to be extra conscious against this one.'_

Aria was amazed. She knew about the Ultimates feature, but never got the chance to see it in person until now.

"So-So cool!" Aria cried out. Then she became louder. "Ben, you're so cool!"

Nyau gritted his teeth in anger. "Shut it!" He yelled at Aria. "Stay out of this!"

"Nyau, look out!" Liver shouted.

However, it was too late. Ultimate Big Chill stretched his right arm forward and shot a shot of fire straight at Nyau. Of course, the teen was surprised as he had to jump out of the way just a second earlier. Hence, he fell to the ground, but was then quick to get to his arms and knees. However, what he saw upon looking back shocked him and the others.

Ultimate Big Chill's flames from before were now solid ice. Nyau could've sworn that he had dodged fire, not ice power. But the reality was clear, as even Liver felt stunned at the power that had been displayed.

' _This power…just what is it?'_ Liver questioned. _'Not only can he go through solid objects and people and turn invisible, but his trump card can turn fire into ice? This…this is something even Esdeath-sama can't do.'_

Nyau was still stunned. It was shown on his face as he just stared at the ice. "This…This isn't possible! Esdeath-sama can't even do that! Just how can he do that?!"

" **Simple, my dear Watson."** Ultimate Big Chill said.

Nyau was then surprised. The alien hero was behind him, to whom he then turned to with that stun look on his face. Ultimate Big Chill had no change of face expression, but if one knew the teen behind the alien then they would know he would be smirking right about now.

" **What you just witnessed are flames so cold it burns!"** He revealed.

Nyau was quiet for a moment. However, that soon changed. The teen got up and let out a battle cry. His flute Teigu, Scream, was still in his hand; hence he tried to strike it against the ultimate alien.

He failed, of course. Ultimate Big Chill just grabbed the teen's hand with ease. Then by lifting him off the ground with that same arm, he looked at him with an expressionless face.

" **Someone's HOT-tempered, and that's saying something from me! But don't worry! I'll give you a good and nice nap!"** He joked.

"Damn you!" Nyau cried out. He followed this action with an unsuccessful kick at the ultimate alien's chest. Then he turned to Liver. "Liver-sama, do some –"

Ultimate Big Chill shut him up. He did this by phasing his hand through the teen's head and knocking him out. Now Nyau was quiet before the hero placed him on the ground and looked at Liver daringly.

" **Now it's just you and me! How about we get this –"**

Liver dropped his blade to the ground and raised his arms up. He was surrendering.

" **Wait, you're already surrendering?!"** Ultimate Big Chill was surprised, but he wasn't alone. Aria, Spear and the former prime minister felt the same as they watched the sophisticated man stand still.

"That is right." Liver admitted. "Power is what runs this world, and surely that is what you have. Being with Esdeath-sama has shown me that only the strongest rules. Sadly, we were no match for you. We are…weak."

" **Huh…I don't think I agree with that."** Ultimate Big Chill replied with uncertainty. **"But it's nice to see someone's smart enough to see my awesomeness…But I kind of wish we could fight a bit. You just had to suck up the fun out of this, dude."**

Aria facepalmed.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **MINUTES LATER**

As Swampfire, Ben tied Diadara's hands behind the man's back with vines. He was conscious now and in a kneeling position, but with a snarl on his face. Meanwhile, Nyau was in the same position and conscious again as he and Liver too were tied by their arms and legs.

" **There, all done!"** Swampfire said.

Daidara growled and tried to break out of the vines. Of course, he failed as he then earned a small snicker from the alien hero who just looked back at him.

" **Yeah, nice try, but I made yours extra special. Don't want you to break out again, now do we?"** Swampfire playfully said.

In response, Daidara just glared angrily at Swampfire with his teeth visibly showing. Swampfire ignored his expression, though, as he then tapped the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest and changed back to normal. There was one other thing on his mind, and it was the Three Beasts' Teigu and a stack of papers with the Night Raid symbol on them. They were laid on the snowy ground not far from the hero as he could see Scream, Belvacc and the blade Liver had used. The teen didn't know if the latter was a Teigu, but then again Belvacc hadn't shown anything remarkable except being a slightly modified double-bladed axe.

"Now what to do with these things." Ben muttered to himself. _'I don't have anywhere else to drop these Teigu, so I'll just hand them over to Night Raid. But maybe one of them might be compatible with Aria. It's about time she has something to defend herself. Anyway…those papers there...I got them from that big oaf, but I can't help but shake off the feeling that I may have prevented something diabolical.'_

"Young man. Does the cold not bother you7?"

Ben turned to the one who called him. The snow had stopped falling or some time now, but clearly whoever that had spoken to him seemed concerned. Fortunately, it was the former Prime Minister who was now approaching him.

"You're the…former prime minister. Are you sure you should be out here? You should get some rest." Ben said with some concern. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Very well then." The former prime minister said.

Just then, he did an unexpected thing. He fell on his arms and knees and his head bowing to the teen hero, which surprised Ben. However, it didn't change what the old man then said. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You have my deepest gratitude! Please whatever you want just ask of it and I shall grant it! Money?! Influence?! Just say the word I shall see to it! You can even take my daughter as your lawful wedded wife! I shall not hesitant to such a request!"

"Uhh…" Ben uttered awkwardly.

"Father!" Spear shouted in offense and embarrassment.

Right at that moment, both the girl and Aria were coming back from the chariot. Spear needed some treatment due to the injury she had received earlier from Daidara, which was the reason she had a cloth across her stomach. Anyway, she still needed Aria to assist her to walk, but that didn't change her attitude.

"Seriously, you don't need to go to such an extent!" Spear stated bluntly. She was offended, especially because in the time before the Three Beasts had attacked them she had been in a discussion with her father talking about marriage. But fortunately she was able to change her attitude when she looked back to Ben. "Still, this does not change what has happened. You have my deepest appreciation and admiration, Tennyson-kun. You are truly a warrior above any other."

"Uh…Thanks." Ben said and smiled. He was relaxed to see the way Spear reacted.

The former prime minister then stood up. By now things were feeling at ease despite the snowy weather in the area. But then a second later Ben turned back to the defeated Three Beasts and gestured to them.

"So…what should we do about these guys?" He asked.

Spear turned to the men, particularly at Nyau. The youngest one had almost cut off her face. In fact, just the thought of it scared her a bit. However, her resolve was stronger and she was staring at the young man sternly.

"I say they should be killed and have their heads to the Prime Minister himself." She stated.

Ben shuddered a bit, and it wasn't from the cold. Spear seemed different from Night Raid, but she was clearly merciless if it came to it. But he still had his own things to say.

"Um…not sure about that. What about you…uh, former prime minister?"

"Chouri. You may call me Chouri." The former prime minister nicely said. His attention was then back to the Three Beasts. "In as much as their acts were dastardly, they are simply pawns to the Honest. Killing them won't achieve anything, but if we're able to take them alive and present them before His Majesty then Honest would no doubt lose favor before the young emperor."

Ben was astonished by the good planning. It wasn't something he thought of considering he's a wanted man by the empire. So as he stared at Chouri, he noticed the man's face become sad.

"I am to blame for this tragedy either way." Chouri admitted. "Not just what happened here, but what's happened to the people. I trusted Honest at the time and stepped down for him, believing he would guide the young emperor well…Unfortunately, that was a lie and the empire was plunged to the way it is now. This is my fault and I hope I can fix it."

Ben huffed and smirked. He didn't know the former prime minister well, but he was beginning to like him now. As such, he patted the man on the shoulder and got his attention.

"No sweat about it. If Honest is so fixed on killing you then I'm pretty sure you can put a big dent on his hold over the empire. Maybe now we can actually do something about that guy." He said.

Chouri paused, surprised at Ben's positivity. It had become so rare to see a bright and determined young man who fought for good with no reward. It actually made the man to feel at ease and smile.

"I guess you're right." He said. "It is quiet nice to see there are still good men in this hopeless times."

However, the scene suddenly changed from its mood. It was because Liver unexpectedly stood up with his arms and legs free, much to everyone's surprise. But then it made sense when Spear saw a ring on his finger.

"That's a Teigu!" Spear shouted.

"You are correct, my dear!" Liver admitted, and with that he sent a shot of his own blood straight at her.

Ben was surprised, but Chouri was quick to react. Hence, the most shocking thing there happened. Chouri shouted for his daughter to look out before getting in the way of the attack, thus getting hit. But if that wasn't enough, Daidara let out a loud cry and brought free of the vines.

Now Ben had to react. He went over to the Ultimatrix to select an alien, only for someone to then interrupt him. It was Daidara who punched Ben by the gut and sent him flying some feet away. Aria and Spear were surprised, but the latter of the two was then enraged when she saw her father lying weakly on the ground.

"You bastards!" Spear yelled.

"Spear, no!" Aria cried out.

It was too late. Daidara faced both of them and backhanded the two of them with his fists with so much force that they were sent flying away. Nyau was then freed by Liver who from there watched Daidara pick up his Teigu and toss Nyau back his own.

"Now do you understand, Tennyson?" Liver said casually. "You may be strong, but you lack true resolve. If one does not know about the enemy, then his chances of winning a battle is slim. I believe I told you that. This is why Esdeath-sama is superior."

Daidara gripped his Teigu with both his hands. "Enough talking, let's kill him and the girls now."

"No, we're retreating." Liver objected. In that moment he could see Ben already seated up and using the Ultimatrix. "Strength and true power dictates the battle. For now, we are not strong enough to defeat him, however we will at least leave with the victory of having accomplished our mission by eliminating our prime target. The next time we meet you can rest assured we shall succeed in defeating you."

"Aw men, I hate this." Nyau whined. His attention was then at Aria who was getting up. He instantly felt angry. "Hear this, Aria! This isn't over! I'll find you and kill you, you got that?!"

Aria moaned, but was barely able to respond.

"Now's the time to go!" Liver shouted. "Daidara, scatter the papers!"

"Right!"

In both Daidara's hands were the big stacks of papers Ben had taken from him earlier. He wasted no time to then throw them into the air. It was in good timing too, as Ben then slammed his hand on the Ultimatrix core and changed into Heatblast.

" **Not so fast!"** Heatblast shouted.

The alien hero was then quick to act. He stretched his arms forward and let out a blast of fire. However, the Three Beasts were prepared. This was obvious when Nyau got in the way and played his flute in a high frequency which then sent a sonic attack that clashed with Heatblast's attack. The result was a boom and an explosive force that pushed everyone in the scene away. Hence, when the snowy mist cleared, Heatblast saw that the Three Beasts were gone.

"Father!" Spear cried out.

Though the explosion recently was unexpected, she still found the strength to stand. She didn't care about the wound on her stomach nor did she pay any attention to the pain from it. She just went over to her father who had been thrown away from the explosion and now lying on his front. The daughter was then quick to turn him to back where she then held him up.

"Sp-Spear?" Chouri said. His voice was weak as he gazed at her face. "I…I don't feel…so good."

"It's going to be okay!" Spear stated but she was almost crying. "You're an idiot! Why did you do that?! My training…I would have dodged it!"

"Ah…perhaps you could." Chouri muttered. He smiled a bit softly.

Aria came forward. Her heart ached upon seeing the state the man he was in. It reminded her of the time she used to be psychotic. Anyway, she recognized his condition instantly.

"He's been poisoned." Aria revealed. "That Teigu user…he must have kept his Teigu hidden before he surrendered and lied that the blade earlier was his actual Teigu. The fact that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference of a Teigu from a real one is…troubling. Sadly…I'm…sorry, but your father won't make it a minute from now."

Ben's heart sank. He was back to normal and heading towards them when he had heard what Aria said. But rather than letting that stop him, he approached the scene and stood close to Chouri.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized. The frustration was mixed with his tone as he tightened his fist. "It's happening again. I let another person die."

Chouri looked over to Ben. "Death is inevitable, but I understand what you mean. You feel responsible because of a mistake…I know that feeling because I have felt it countless time…I…I can't tell you…just how much I…blamed myself every night for what became of the empire…I knew I could do something, but I just…didn't do something until now. So…if anything…do not blame yourself…There are some mistakes that cannot be avoided…What is important is to try to make the best of it…Besides, thanks to you…my daughter is still alive and she might actually stand a chance of…starting a family."

"Father! Don't talk about that now!" Spear cried out. She was now crying, as tears were coming down her cheeks and falling on her father's chest.

Chouri chose to continue. His attention was back at Spear. "Y-You look so beautiful, my daughter. I'm sorry I wasn't as strong as I should. Please…take this chance to do…what I could not. Never give up…Honest will not stop until…all that opposes him are dead, including…you. So…watch over yourself and follow this young man…Help him…to stop this madness…and fix what I could not do until it was too late."

"F-Father…" Spear cried softly.

Chouri let out a last breathe and extended his smile. "At least now…I can be at peace…with your mother…knowing you're…alive."

With that, the former prime minister of the empire gave up his ghost. Spear was shocked and heartbroken. It felt like her world had just collapsed right there and then. She couldn't contain it and began screaming as she shook her father.

"No! Don't go! Don't go! Can't you hear me, dad! Don't go! Don't…Don't…"Then she let out a louder cry and hugged her father's dead body. "DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEEEEE!"

Both Ben and Aria turned away. Spear's cries were heartbreaking as not one of them could stand it. They could comfort her, but there were times where it was too soon to do so. Spear was an orphan now.

_(LINE BREAK)_

 **OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL, BEHIND SATOU'S CABIN**

A green portal appeared behind the home of one Ben's few allies in this world. Fortunately, it wasn't something to be alarmed. Spear and Aria walked out first with the Time Cycle following them before the portal closed. Some time had passed since the former prime minister's death, so now it was just them miles away from the snowy location.

"Well…here we are now." Ben said plainly. He hadn't gotten over what had happened. The same was for Spear who just turned to him.

"A-Amazing…Just…what are you?" Spear asked. "We were just at the snowy region and yet you brought us close the Capital in a matter of seconds."

"Yeeaaaahhh." Ben responded awkwardly. "Just don't go about telling anyone about this."

"I won't. I promise." Spear assured. "Besides, I shall be by your side from now on. I owe you my life, Ben Tennyson. If it were not for you...I wouldn't be here. So just ask and I will do what I can to the best of my ability."

"Oh…huh…" Ben said with uncertainty. "To be honest with you, I thought we could part ways here. Satou's a friend of mine and I'm sure he would look after you well and –"

"No!" Spear objected.

"But what about –"

"I-It doesn't matter now!" Spear shouted.

From there, silence took over. Aria was quiet as she just watched what happened. As for Ben, the teen hero was taken aback when Spear grabbed his hand which was still on the bike. The scene became more intense when she looked down at the ground.

"Please…don't leave me." Spear said. Her voice sounded low and depressed, but it was still audible and sad. "With…my father gone…I have no other place to go, but I choose not to surrender. I want to fight…I want to correct the mistake my father made. So please…let me fight alongside you. My father trusted you till death…so I trust you too."

Ben was quiet and astonished. Here was a girl clinging on to him like she was her last hope. It wasn't the first time, but this feeling wasn't something to get used to. Besides, it now put Ben in a tough spot.

With that, the teen sighed. "I'm probably going to keep myself in the butt for this, but…fine. You can come with us."

Spear wiped the tears at her eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

"What about Night Raid?" Aria questioned. She then realized what she had said and quickly shut her mouth.

Spear was immediately shocked. She removed her hand from Ben and took a step back with a look of betrayal on her face.

"You're an assassin?!" She questioned.

Ben was surprisingly calm. He guessed it was because her reaction was something to expect, hence he explained with a calm face. "No, I'm not." He said. "You saw what happened back there. Being alone against those three led to your father's death. I'm sorry, but if Aria hadn't been there too then you two would've been gone."

Aria was surprised. She hadn't thought of it, but she did technically save Spear and Chouri even though the latter later died. Anyway, Ben continued as he tightened his fist and closed his eyes, imagining all that had happened.

"For some time now, I've fought alone. I made mistakes that I wish I could correct. So, even as I'm strong…I've learnt it doesn't always guarantee that everything will turn out alright. I don't want anyone else to die because of my mistakes, that is why…I had no choice but to meet with them."

Spear said nothing. She didn't even seem to be at ease as she stared at Ben suspiciously. Fortunately, Ben continued when he opened his eyes and faced Spear.

"Yes, I get it! They're assassins, but their ultimate goal matches mine!"

"Ultimate…goal?" Spear questioned with uncertainty.

"To end this poverty-stricken and unfair world!" Ben stated boldly, staring at Spear. "To bring about a country where everyone is treated fairly and equally! I've seen what the people go through, and it's the worse!"

Spear was hesitant. What Ben said may be true, but she had a different reasoning.

"But we can talk this peacefully, can't we?! My father…he believed that just persuading the emperor would end this! He believed that people don't have to die in order to achieve peace!"

Ben smiled in response. The ideology Chouri held was really admirable to him

"That does sound really good, but…I think right now it's too late." Ben said.

Spear was slightly taken aback. To hear that her father ideology could be disputed like that was really offensive. But then Ben continued.

"Don't get me wrong. I believe in the same thing. My grandpa thought me a lot of things including how valuable a life is. I never want to take another person's life. I'm not a judge, jury or executioner; I'm a hero."

"But you're with Night Raid." Spear pointed out.

"Not really." Ben corrected. "We may have the same ultimate goal, but we still have different approaches towards it. So if you don't want to come along with me anymore then that's fine. You can stay with Satou. Just let him know that I saved you. He's a good man who hates violence so he'll watch over you."

Spear was quiet again. She didn't know what else to counteract against Ben. Ben wasn't really trying to convince her to join him or Night Raid. In fact, if anything it seemed like he was trying to push her away from him.

' _This young man…He's aligned himself with Night Raid and yet…he concerns over me than trying to defend himself.'_ Spear thought.

Just then, the girl had a flashback. It was that moment when Ben was about to be killed by Daidara. He didn't seem concerned about himself; he was still trying to save her and her father's life.

' _I'm…such an idiot, father. Forgive me.'_ Spear thought. From there a smile formed on her face before she placed her left hand on her hip. "My father may have been blind in one eye, but he saw the truth in the end. Ben Tennyson, you are a mystery, but there is good in you that possibly shine brighter than my father. Now I'm certain I want to be by your side and end the tyranny in the Capital."

"So…I'm guessing you're not leaving huh." Ben said.

"I shall not." Spear boldly said.

Ben sighed. He really did want to the girl to stay out of things. However, her determination was strong and he couldn't ignore that. Besides, it was comforting to know that there is someone who possibly shared the same ideology as he does.

"Then there's no stopping now." Ben said. He then held out his right hand to Spear. "Nice to have you on board, Spear."

Spear accepted the hand. Together, the both of them gripped each other and shook on it.

"Thank you. It is an honor to fight alongside you." She said with satisfaction.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **DONE! I wanted to add another scene, but thought you guys had enough cliffhangers for now. That scene will now be in the next chapter.**

 **So what did you think of this chapter? Ben faced the Three Beasts Warriors and saved Spear, but her father die. Now she's actually going to have a role rather than just be a forgettable character. Just keep in mind that this doesn't mean I won't kill off characters. Ieyasu was the first and now Chouri is gone. So who would be next? You're going to need to keep reading to find out.**

 **On the topic of Spear, I've always had it in mind to save her. I remember watching that episode where she died off and felt sorry. Her dad and she were talking about how she hasn't gotten married (in the normal anime comedy), only to then get axed (literally!). So you can bet that I'm going to keep her around for a loooooooooong time.**

 **On another note, congrats to any reader who noticed a theme in this chapter. Ben turned into THREE fire-related alien (though one of them was an Ultimate), and his first ultimate was a fire-related alien (though it was also ice-related too).**

 **Well this is where I'm going to end the chapter. If you enjoyed this then review and let me know, and if you haven't favorite or followed then please do. The next chapter would most certainly return back to the manga , so look forward to that.**


	30. Briefing, Sheele's moment and a mission?

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I am so sorry for the late update! I've gotten an internship, so I've been so busy. I've also been updating my other fanfictions that needed attending to.

So before I begin with begin with the chapter, I just want to say a big thank to you guys for your reviews. Seeing there are much of you still interested in this fanfiction is enlightening.

On another note, from the next chapter onwards, the way I title chapters will change. You'll see what I mean in the next chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!**

Now on to the chapter!

 **Chapter 30: Briefing, Sheele's moment and…a mission?**

A briefing was going on in the gardens of the Imperial Castle. The gardens were known to have the most beautiful flowers and plantation soil in the entire Capital, thus a great place to have a small breakfast at.

General Esdeath was known for her cruelty, but she did have her sweet side. It was even with that fact that she organized a small lunch for her and Sunny just for the two of them. At this point, some adequate and delicious delicacies were on the table, with some of them being sweets. Sunny enjoyed it in particular, but she couldn't keep her mind at ease due to the latest news she heard just a while ago.

The Three Beast Warriors had returned from their mission yesterday. However the news they brought wasn't so fulfilling. Esdeath was back to her stern and strict self as she faced her bodyguards bowing at her in their usual respective manner.

The briefing soon came to an end before a small silence took over. Esdeath was acknowledging the information she recently received. It was unexpected, but at the same time intriguing since it concerned a certain teenage boy with an alien watch.

She turned to Sunny. "The Ultimatrix…Do you know anything about that?" She paused again and then spoke. "Prior to coming to the Capital, you informed me certain things about your cousin. The Omnitrix, you said is his Teigu, but now I'm hearing he calls it the Ultimatrix?"

Sunny smiled a bit. "Hmm, so he really has it back." She muttered. Her voice was loud enough for them to hear before she licked a lollipop and smiled at the general. "Yes, I've heard of the Ultimatrix. Think of it as the Omnitrix, but with its own Trump Card that allows him to evolve his Danger Beasts."

' _So that's what happened…'_ Liver concluded. He recalled the time with Ultimate Big Chill.

Esdeath was now further intrigued. She took a sip of her tea and stared at Sunny with interest. "Then how did he dispose of such a 'Trump Card'? No one has ever tried to tamper with their Teigu, less actually remove their Trump Card."

"He calls them Ultimates." Sunny said. "But I'm not the right person to ask. Ben is cute and incredible, but he also lives a life of idiocy. Maybe he just thought having the 'Ultimates' was too powerful, and so he got rid of it."

"I find that had to belief." Esdeath replied with doubt. "The Black Scare, when he caused a worldwide epidemic that placed a number of people in barriers, clearly showed he has that kind of power. You refuse to tell me how it's possible. I'm getting impatient, Sunny."

Sunny was unfazed by the last part. Esdeath was scary to many, but Sunny was different from the people. Thus, even when Esdeath gave a glare that would scare any easy heart, she just giggled at the woman.

"Aw, Esdeath-sama, don't give me that look. It won't attract any good men." Sunny said joyfully. She then reached her hand to a slice of cake and held it close to her mouth. "Speaking of the Black Scare, I was there and in one of those barriers, and I know for a fact it was by accident. Something probably triggered my cousin, so knowing him he probably locked that ability away somehow. You guys and the empire don't have to worry about that anymore."

"I see." Esdeath said suspiciously.

Sunny was still a mystery to her. In a way, a person could say the ice general didn't trust her completely. It was the reason she's been reluctant to accept Sunny's offer for Ben to be the man for her. But that is a matter for another time. Esdeath turned back to her men whom she then stood before.

"I never predicted Ben Tennyson would intervene in your assignment. Perhaps, I should journey with you on your next mi-"

"Please no, Esdeath-sama!" Liver refused.

The oldest of the Three Beast then regretted his action. General Esdeath didn't like being interrupted, as shown when a scowl formed on her face. Liver was quick to apologize.

"Accept my apologizes! However, I beg of you to not waste your precious time with a mild setback caused by your subordinates! I swear on my life that if the boy comes, we'll deal with him without haste!"

"I am uncertain." Esdeath said, walking over to Liver. Before the man knew it, she placed her high heel on his head and forced his face into the ground. "You talked out of turn, but I shall accept your apology. However, I have one last thing to add. Bring the boy alive if possible. If you can't, then you have my permission to end him."

Sunny gulped down the cake she just finished eating. She had something say.

"Actually, Esdeath-sama, Ben won't be there." She said.

Esdeath turned to Sunny in curiosity. She wanted to know why Sunny said that, but it seemed to the girl knew her question.

"I have…something planned…" Sunny said, licking her lips mischievously. "Trust me you'll be meeting him face to face very soon."

Esdeath paused and removed her high heel from Liver's head. There was something about what Sunny said that intrigued her. But Esdeath said nothing on it as she turned her back to her men and extended her arm from her side.

"You have your mission! Go and deal with the next target and come back alive!" Then she titled her head at them. "I will never forgive any of you if you prove to be weak!"

"Understood, Esdeath-sama." Liver said with complete absolute. His hand was at his chest as he added. "Your request shall be carried out without fail!"

The Three Beasts then stood up and walked away. They didn't say a word nor did they look back at their mistress. But then Sunny stood up and called out to Nyau. In response, Nyau turned to the girl slightly confused until she planted a kiss on his lips.

Nyau was surprised. This was the first time that a girl had kissed him on the lips. Sunny's action made him stutter and stare at her with his cheeks blushing. However, the Anodite thought nothing of it as she smiled at him and blinked one eye at him.

"That's for good luck! Come back safe!" She said.

Nyau took a short breath and nodded. He hadn't spoken to Sunny, but he did feel better after turning from her. Her action, however, caught Esdeath's curiosity as she (the general) sat back on her seat.

"You've taken a liking to my 'dog'? I'm a bit surprised. You're quite bold, Sunny. It almost makes me jealous." She said.

"That wasn't love." Sunny replied. Her pupils then flashed pink. "That, Esdeath-sama, was a 'good luck' charm."

Nyau's pupils also flashed pink. The teen somewhat noticed it and rubbed his eyes. He was confused at the brief change his eyes had experienced until Daidara called him. Thus, he ran to meet up with his comrades, ready to engage in their next mission.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Following the incident with the Three Beast Warriors, Ben, Aria and Spear had stayed with Satou for the night. Their reason for the unexpected stay was to help Spear recover both emotionally and physically from the attack. Fortunately, Satou didn't mind their visit and they left the next day for Night Raid's hideout.

"That's Night Raid's hideout?" Spear asked. A part of her was intrigued, but also troubled. "Are you certain I should follow you? I hear they kill any intruder that dares to seek their hideout."

"You're the one who wanted to come with me." Ben said plainly. A smirk then formed on his face. "Relax, the people here love me…after trying to kill me on numerous occasions."

"Thanks…I feel so relieved." Spear replied with doubt.

Just then, a rustle from a bush was heard. It startled Aria, Ben and Spear as it caught their attention. But before any of them could say a thing, a certain green haired young man walked out of it, revealing who he is.

"I had a feeling it was you, Ben…" Lubbock said. Then his eyes glared at Spear with killing intent. "But we never said you could bring guests other than Aria."

Spear responded by gripping her spear weapon. The teenage girl had brought it along with her following her departure from the site caused by the Three Beast Warriors. It was the only thing other than her clothes that she packed that was left. The clothes were left in Satou's home for the time being.

Back at the situation, Ben could sense rising tension. Fortunately, he intervened on the matter by standing between the two.

"Calm down, Lubbock. The girl right behind me is the former Prime Minister's daughter." He said.

"His daughter?" Lubbock questioned with obvious surprise on his face. He was then quick to shake his head and then point at Ben with an accusing finger. "Why did you bring her here?! Her father is a well-known popular and rich man in the empire! Bringing her here even if he isn't sided with the current prime minister is bad for us!"

Ben was about to retort Lubbock's claim. However, the teen was stopped by Spear's hand on his shoulder. The girl then went forward and stood before Lubbock with a brave face.

"If you must know, my father is no longer with me!" She stated boldly.

Lubbock was surprised again. He could tell Spear wasn't lying to him, as there was no hesitation in her voice and eyes. But the girl went onward with conviction.

"Do not get it wrong! I am not here to join your band of thieves and murderers! I am here to serve Ben Tennyson! If it weren't for him, I would've been dead with my father! Esdeath's bodyguards, The Three Beasts Warriors, must pay for their actions on innocent lives!"

"The Three Beast Warriors?!" Lubbock's eyes widened in shock.

"I take it that you know them?" Ben asked.

"Not in person." Lubbock answered. His killer intent was completely gone as he then turned away. "Come on! Let's get to the hideout! Najenda would want to hear about this!"

"Actually…" Ben suddenly said. He placed his hand into his pants' pocket and brought out a flyer. "Can you take Aria and Spear and give this paper to Najenda? Tell her I'll explain myself about Spear. There's…someone I want to see again and I don't want to be disturbed with questions."

Lubbock stared at the paper in Ben's hand and took it. He also didn't say a word as he looked at the content on the paper and expressed surprised.

"We never made this." He said in realization. "'Heaven's judgment'? What the hell is this about?"

"Night Raid is being framed." Aria answered. "The Three Beast Warriors sprayed these things before we left. We then tried to pick up all of them, but it's possible we forgot some. We had to leave the scene when we noticed some merchants coming."

Lubbock groaned in annoyance and stuffed the flyer into his green jacket's pocket.

"This just gets better and better huh." Lubbock said sarcastically. "I'll send your request, Ben, but don't take too long. Najenda won't be happy if you make her wait too long. She'll probably have everyone apart from Sheele come for a briefing."

"I'll be there." Ben assured him.

Lubbock felt relaxed and turned away. He was then about to lead the girls with him, but something came to mind and made him stop and turn to Ben.

"By the way, Sheele has been asking of you…Be careful with her. Something about her has changed…" He said.

Ben frowned. "I know."

The teen hero said nothing else. He activated the Ultimatrix and slammed on its core and became Big Chill. He then used the alien form to fly to the direction of Night Raid and become invisible.

"I guess that's that." Lubbock said with a sigh. He then looked back at Spear and Aria. "Come on, let's get going."

The two girls complied and followed him.

_(LINE BREAK)_

As Big Chill, Ben was able to phase through the walls and ceilings of the hideout. He didn't want to be seen, so he made sure he stayed invisible. Thus, by the time he got to the front door of Sheele's room, there was no sign of anyone at the hallway. This then gave him the chance to change back to normal and knock on the door.

"Come in." Sheele's voice was heard.

Ben complied and did as she said. From there he closed the door behind him and called out to Sheele, who seemed to be in her own world. Sheele was in a wheelchair and staring outside through her window. She heard Ben enter and turned to him with a slight confused face.

"Ben, you're here?"

"Uh, yeah. Lubbock said you were calling for me. I was going to meet you anyway without the others knowing, but - " He said.

"I did?" Sheele questioned, turning to face Ben. She sheepishly smiled at Ben. "Sorry, I'm still an airhead. I guess I forgot."

"It's fine." Ben smiled.

Sheele was being in a good mood despite her condition. By using the wheelchair, it was obvious that she really couldn't use her legs. The complication on that fact could make most people feel some depression, especially if they found out about their condition just this morning. But not Sheele; she seemed calm.

"Ben…" Sheele called out. She tilted her head to the window. "It's a lovely day outside, isn't it?"

"Sure, I guess it is." Ben answered with a bit uncertainty.

Sheele said nothing else but giggled a bit. Her mood never seemed to shift for even a second. She seemed peaceful outwardly as she continued staring outside.

"Before the fight with the Imperial officer, I never really gave life much of a thought. Weird, isn't it? Sheele thinking, it sounds unreasonable."

"No, it's not." Ben said. "Everyone once in a while experiences such thoughts after going through an ordeal."

"Ordeal…I guess so." Sheele replied. "But really I'm grateful to everyone and to you. You should've seen them, Ben. They were so happy to see me…I never once gave a thought about others' feelings if I suddenly disappeared. I guess I knew they would miss me, but because I'm such a screw up I just thought that I wouldn't matter. Just get back to the way things were like it never happened, is what I thought if I died."

"Sheele…" Ben called out in concern.

Sheele's tone had become depressing at her last sentence. She even noticed this and looked to her lap.

"I'm fine. I really am." She assured him. Then she looked at Ben. "I guess you could say I've changed a bit. I don't know what it makes of me now, but…maybe I'll figure it out in the future. Ben…, Mine told me what you did ever since I was unconscious. You don't need to blame yourself for what happened anymore. I'm grateful to what you did for me…Honest."

"Y-You're welcome." Ben replied.

The teen hero didn't know much about Sheele. Apart from the time she defended him and Aria from getting killed by Mine, the girl was a mystery to him. But rather than focus on that, his attention was taken by Sheele who patted at her bed's edge.

"It's fine. You can sit." She said. "There's actually been something else I want to talk about…if you don't mind."

"Sure."

Ben did as she told him. He felt there could be some turmoil in Sheele even if she wasn't showing it. But rather than say anything, he faced her while sitting on her bed's edge and listened to what she had to say.

"About that night …I need your honesty." Sheele said.

Ben nodded. He had a feeling on the topic Sheele wanted to bring up. She was the only person who hadn't been comforted about that night.

"Ieyasu…did he really die that night?" She asked.

"Yes." Ben answered.

Sheele became quiet. She didn't cry nor did her emotion shifted. It was just dull and slightly depressingly, like she was trying to be strong in front of Ben. The teen hero could guess the latter was the case.

"I never doubted it, but I just needed to be sure." Sheele said. "To be honest with you, Ben…I really blame myself for what happened."

"It wasn't your –"

"I know that…at least that's what I want to believe." She stated with doubt. "During that battle with Seryu, I allowed Ieyasu to deal with what I thought would be a deciding blow, but…now I think it was a bad decision. I wanted Ieyasu to have some experience…But now I feel it just fell flat on my face…I was gun down, Mine had to carry me to safety and he…he died trying to protect us. I can't help but think that…if I had just joined him in that moment then that woman would've been dead and maybe…maybe he wouldn't have to die. That woman would've taken his place and I won't be feeling this much burden in my heart."

Ben didn't say anything. He wanted to, but it didn't seem like Sheele was done yet. He could tell by the short pause before she continued.

"About last night, thank you. You kept my condition from me and his death so I could feel better."

' _Lubbock was right…'_ Ben thought. ' _I don't know much about her, but it's pretty obvious she's not who she used to be.'_

The teen hero decided then to speak. "Sheele, you shouldn't let yourself feel this burden. Knowing Ieyasu, I don't think he would want you to feel responsible. I mean I'm at fault, but I'm beginning to come to terms with what happened that night…and thanks to you I'm feeling better about it. So don't be sad. I promise I will get you back on your feet."

"Thanks…" Sheele said. She gave the teen a small smile. "But that won't be necessary yet. I'm in no rush."

"What?" Ben was surprised.

"All my life it has felt like a screw has been loose in my mind. I never cared about who or what I killed; it never really impacted me. But I feel like that screw is slowly getting tied on me. I'm beginning to question if I can go back to being an assassin and continue what I used to be…For me, being an assassin was the only useful thing I had…but because of what happened that night, I don't know if I can go back to those days."

Ben was silent in response. In a moment like this, he would've spoken back. However, he felt a contradiction that Sheele then picked up on.

"I don't want to guilt you. I know it isn't your fault…You're a hero and I think that suits you, so it's fine if you hate assassins. I mean…a hero can't encourage someone to go back to killing. I mean, it's what you did with that blonde girl, right?"

"Yes…" Ben finally responded. An idea then struck him and he stood up. "Then how about joining me?"

"Joining you?" She questioned. She was confused.

"You don't know this, but I just saved the former Prime Minister's daughter from Esdeath's goons. I didn't think much on it then, but you're situation made me realize something. I could put a team together. I still kind of have a team back in my world, but they can't help me here."

Sheele was beginning to understand what he was saying.

"That means…this team would be made up of you, the former prime minister's daughter and Aria?"

"And Eunice." Ben added.

Sheele was confused for a moment until she remembered who he was referring to.

"Eunice…A girl with blonde hair that answered that name visited me along with the others. She said she's related to you."

"That's her. But I also think you could join us."

The teen hero then went on one knee and placed his hand on Sheele's lap. Sheele could see his concern for her as they made eye contact.

"Me…? But I can't…I'm not good at –"

"You don't have to be good with killing." Ben stated determinedly. "What happened then doesn't define who you can choose to be, Sheele. You're a skilled fighter and you're kind and compassionate about other people's feelings. I know right now you're trying to mask how you truly feel, but it's okay. I didn't know for sure if I knew you well, but I know I do now."

Sheele was astonished by Ben's confidence. His eyes held a strong will that she hadn't seen in anyone before. But she felt hesitant to speak back.

The teen hero stood up. His tone became softer than before. "I've been in rough times where I've felt helpless too. But I've come to learn that if you want something done, even if you feel held back, it only becomes as bad as you think when you let it happen."

"I see…" Sheele muttered. Her head turned to the window again. "But what if I kill someone again? The impulse might still come…"

"Then we'll deal with it together."

Sheele smiled. A tear went down on her cheek before she wiped it with her hand.

"I'll think about it." She said.

Ben nodded and turned away. He was about to walk out the door, but he had one last thing to say.

"I'm not trying to separate you from Night Raid. If you decide to go back to being an assassin, I think it would be better than doing nothing."

"I know." Sheele responded without turning back.

Ben huffed a bit and smiled. Sheele sounded better than she did before. He just hoped that as he walked out the door and closed it behind him that the young woman would choose to take action than just sit things out.

_(LINE BREAK)-

In the briefing room, everyone was gathered before Najenda as she sat at her usual place. Spear was standing directly in front of the woman while everyone else stood separate from each other, having heard and seen what their superior had to say. It was a moment after that Ben came in and attracted everyone's attention.

"Tennyson, nice of you to join us." Najenda said with a hint of sarcasm. "Lubbock told me what you said and I've heard Spear's defense. However, I don't condone inviting any stranger into Night Raid's hideout. We do not run a safe haven for people in distress."

"I'm not someone in distress!" Spear stated strongly. "I'm not a fugitive! I'll rather die than be a coward!"

"I'm aware of that." Najenda stated. "Your resolve earlier said it better. Such a shame you do not want to work with us, but I won't force you. Ben is in an alliance with us, so you shall be treated well. But be warned…" Her eyes became something scarily narrow. "…betray any of us in anyway and it won't give you immunity over the consequences, understood?"

"Yes."

Ben then stepped forward. "Speaking of consequences, there's something I want to say."

Everyone's attention came on Ben again as he walked towards Najenda. There was something was on his mind as he even seemed offensive towards Najenda. Najenda was curious to know, thus she said nothing.

"Leave Aria and Spear out of this!" He stated strongly. "They're under my protection, so if you have anything to say about them then say it to my face!"

Most of the people there didn't like his tone. Leone could sense that a part of it was due to what she said about Aria, but she wasn't certain.

Ben continued. "I appreciate what you guys have done for us! After that close fiasco in the Imperial Castle, you welcomed Aria, Eunice and I into your hideout! However, I won't stand back and let anyone here threaten the life of any of them! I was too focused on Sheele that I failed to realize just how Aria would be treated by the very people who probably still want her head the moment I'm gone."

"What's your point?" Najenda questioned. A part of her was intrigued by Ben's bold statement while another part of her felt threatened. One wrong move could lead to the termination of their alliance.

"My point is this! Never, ever, threaten their lives! I understand there maybe be squabbles and disagreement, but never cross the line to execute them!"

The teen hero then lifted the Ultimatrix to his chest level. "You're aware by of what I'm capable of! But I'm going to go ahead and tell you! I'll tell you now! Don't underestimate me, because if you guys ever push me to the wall, I'll make sure you regret it!"

A moment of silence took over. Tatsumi was completely surprised by Ben's statement. The teen hero hadn't threatened anyone before - at least to his knowledge. But here he was, threatening a woman like Najenda while her people (including him) could decide to attack Ben at that very moment.

Fortunately, there was no need for violence. Najenda understood this, but she was still offensive towards Ben despite seemingly calm.

"You have a strong will. I guess I shouldn't underestimate the young man responsible for the Black Scare. Tell me, Tennyson, what would you do after all of this is over? When the revolution happens and a new country is formed, what will you do then?"

Ben didn't respond. Najenda was trying to lure him into a trap. Thus, he remained silent as he glared at her threateningly.

Najenda used that chance to stand up and walk over to Ben. She wasn't scared of him in the slightest as she continued.

"Being a hero sounds more like a fantasy in this world, if you must know. Perhaps in your world it's all roses and daises if a former psychopath killed hundreds just for her amusement, but not here." Then she stood and exchanged glares with Ben. "I have no intention of killing your friend; I can assure you about that. But you should start thinking about what would become of her after the revolution. She and her family's actions have been made public. I doubt she would be let go with a slap on the wrist and live happily ever after."

"I'm quite aware, Najenda! Aria will stand trial!" Ben said back at her.

"Hmph, and if she gets the death penalty?"

"Then I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there!"

Tension was becoming high between the two powerful individuals as they exchanged with one another. Both of them didn't want to show fear or intimidation in front of the people who mattered in their life. But the moment somewhat broke off when an impressed Najenda nonchalantly turned from Ben and went back to her seat.

"For now we'll comply with your demands, Tennyson. In exchange you comply with ours when the time comes." She said. Then she changed the subject as she faced everyone. "With that out of the way, I have two pieces of bad news to relay. Listen well and this includes Ben's little 'team'"

Ben said nothing in response. He was curious on what Najenda had to say.

"First, I can no longer contact the local team." Najenda said. Her attitude changed to a heavy one as she added. "I intended to call everyone in today, but our new 'guest' took some priority. However, with that settled, I believe our main problems must be addressed."

"I see…" Tatsumi said. He was curious on one thing. "There's a local team?"

Akame answered. "We specialize in carrying out assassinations in the Capital, but there is another team that handles the areas around it."

Najenda continued from there. "It's currently being investigated, but the likelihood that they are dead is high, so be prepared for that, everyone…"

"Do you suspect anyone in the empire that could be responsible…?" Eunice asked. "I haven't been in this world for long, but data from the Omnitrix archives states certain individuals Ben engaged in battle with such as Seryu, an ape Danger Beast, the Tengu Mercenary, Ogre the Demon and some others, so I think it's possible that if this local team was equipped with Teigu then they would've been taken out easily."

"You're right, Eunice." Najenda said. She was impressed by Eunice's analysis, but didn't say anything on it. "However, we have no suspicion on the matter. We just have to wait and hear the results from the investigation team."

With this, the air in the briefing room felt more intense. The team composed of Night Raid and Ben and his new friends and Eunice could tell the news was only getting worse.

"Then I guess it's necessary to strengthen our security around the hideout." Lubbock said as a suggestion. "Yeah, I'll increase the range of my threads."

"That would be best." Najenda commented. She then said the second piece of bad news. "Secondly, there has been a string of murders in the Capital. The targets have all been civil servants."

Spear felt like there was a lump in her throat. It had been over a night since her father was killed. Her father was still considered a civil servant despite being the former prime minister.

Najenda continued. "The deaths include four officials and sixty-one bodyguards. The problem is what was brought before me by Lubbock."

Spear, Aria and Ben knew what she meant. They then watched with everyone else as Najenda pulled out a familiar flyer. It had a drawing of a specific breed of a bird with the words underneath saying 'Heaven's Judgment (Night Raid)'.

"From what you just heard when Spear testified, we're being framed for killing her father." Najenda stated. "This crime isn't the first and it likely won't be the last. In the first and second cases, I thought it would be unbelievable for the masses if we started taking responsibility for these crimes. However, after each incident, the officials have increased security; even so they were still killed. The last incident which happened yesterday, the former prime minister and thirty highly skilled guards were massacred. Even Spear, a disciple of the Imperial Fist's Temple Master, was no match for them."

Ben looked over to Spear. _'The Imperial Fist Temple…I heard that this world's topnotch place to learn martial arts. But the fact Spear is a disciple of its master is –'_

"I am no longer a disciple of the temple." Spear said, cutting off Ben. Though it seemed like she read his mind, her tone sounded a little down as she continued. "We have a code of honor in our ranks. The Prime Minister would likely relay to my…former master that I assisted Night Raid to kill my own father. I won't be welcomed back anymore."

Tatsumi called out to her. "But wouldn't they think you escaped or got captured."

"For me to escape is likely, but since I couldn't be found they won't believe I it." Spear said. "I also took my belongings with me knowing full well of the consequences. To them, it would seem I deliberately joined side with you people, thus shaming the code we live by." She then turned to Ben with a glare. "Besides, you people are assassins. I have doubts that you capture your victims anyway."

' _She has a point.'_ Tatsumi thought.

"Now do you understand, Tatsumi." Najenda said. She had a cigarette in her mouth. "No one but us could've done the deed – is the popular opinion."

"The criminals are the Three Beast Warriors, correct?" Akame questioned. "They are powerful and possess Imperial Arms like the rest of us."

"Yes." Najenda said. She had a liter in her hand and turned to Leone. "With General Esdeath and Sunny back in the Capital, we can't be certain of their next move. Currently, it seems the general herself is being quiet and only visiting the government's torture chambers. I want you to go to the Capital and observe her movements Leone."

"I don't know about that, boss." Leone said. "I'm excited for it, but Sunny would probably notice me the moment I get close to the area."

"Sunny?" Spear questioned. "She's from another country?"

"Not really." Ben answered. "We'll explain everything when this is over." He then turned to Leone. "I think you should go. Sunny is psychotic, but she's smart enough to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. Eunice can go with you and deter Sunny from doing anything crazy."

"Hmph! Then it's fine with me!" Leone exclaimed happily.

"Be on your guard, Leone." Najenda warned. "Esdeath is a homicidal maniac who enjoys slaughter."

"Alright, alright." Leone replied calmly.

Unknown to the others, however, the young woman had a mischievous plan. A smirk also formed on her face as she cleverly thought about her position and that of Esdeath.

' _Fufu…and then…I'll be a good person and take her out if the chance comes up! All I have to do is get Eunice on my side and together we can take her on! After all, if Eunice can touch Esdeath, she'll be on par with her, and with our combined strength we could take her out. The extremely sadistic general known as the empire's strongest…Taking her out would have the same impact as killing the Prime Minister! I'm looking forward to it!'_

Najenda lit her cigarette. Like the others, she was unaware of Leone's mischievous plan. The gravity of the situation may have masked it, thus she continued.

"The civil servants killed were good people who wanted nothing to do with the Prime Minister. They were people who made the Prime Minister fell ill at ease. When one of them finally decided to do something, he was executed right on the spot. Chouri was a very good man; we can't let his attempt go in vain. Night Raid shall not allow the Prime Minister to get rid of his enemies and blame us."

Spear was impressed even though she didn't show it. However, there was a lingering problem which Bulat pointed out.

"Could it be a trap to lure out the real Night Raid?" Bulat asked.

Ben answered. "I think it could be. If I was framing someone and I knew them, then I would expect them to show up to stop me. In the case of the Three Beast Warriors, it's basically killing two birds with one stone, am I right?" He paused and tightened his fist. "But they made the mistake of running away with their face open. I'm going to make sure they regret it. I know how they look and the type of Teigu use, so you guys will be one step ahead of them."

"Good work, Ben." Najenda said. She was impressed. "The likelihood that it's a trap can be overturned to our advantage." She then took in a bit of smoke from her of her cigarette, removed the small object and let out a puff of the smoke. "The officials who were killed were all highly skilled people who opposed the prime minister and would have nothing to do with the rebel army scouts. They cared only for their country. Isn't that right, Spear?"

"Yes." Spear answered confidently.

Najenda continued. "People like these officials will be essential in creating our new country. We cannot afford to lose any more of these talented people! I think we should head out and crush the Three Beast Warriors once and for all!"

"I agree." Spear stated strongly. Her determination became obvious when she twirled her spear and pierced the sharp tip into the group. "Please, Najenda! I ask to join in your mission! I am not a part of your group, but I wish to take vengeance for my father and ensure these three never kill again! I feel sick staying behind, so I ask for your permission!"

Najenda looked over to Ben. "What do you say, Tennyson? She is under you."

"I think…" Ben said with hesitation. Spear hadn't fully recovered from her injury from Daidara. But after another thought, Ben placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, facing Najenda. "If you're fine with it, let her go! This is something that she has to do! But I want her to be with the best skilled. No offense."

"I'll allow it." Najenda replied in approval. "In exchange I hope she doesn't hold any of them back! She was a disciple of the Imperial Fist Temple's master, so I expect great things from her."

"Thank you, Master Tennyson." Spear said. "I shall not disappoint you."

"Uh…okay?" Ben said with uncertainty. Being called 'master' was weird to him, but he was quick to recover. "Just to be safe, I want you to have this." He handed her a circle device.

Spear took a look at it with a confuse expression. She could tell the device was metal, but the fact it resembled Ben's Ultimatrix symbol; was odd.

"It's a badge and a communicator." Ben explained. "If you guys get in trouble, just press the middle and it will send a distress call to my Ultimatrix that would lead me to you."

"Outstanding." Spear commented. Her eyes widened with astonishment as she stared at the device.

Her reaction was expected, as it was also shared by the others minus Najenda. Aria decided then to tug on Ben's shirt, catching his attention.

"Ben, I would…I would like to go on the mission too." She said.

Everyone was surprised, with only Tatsumi and Leone loudly expressing it. They knew Aria's fighting capability was small compared to everyone else. It was even something Ben knew.

"You can't, Aria!" Ben opposed strongly. "Do you know what you're saying? You saw what the Three Beasts can do! You won't stand a chance!"

"But this is something I feel I have to do!" Aria shouted back.

Her response surprised Ben a bit. The look in her eyes was more serious than she had ever been. Clearly, this moment was different than the last time she had requested something from Ben.

"It's just that…it's my fault…" Aria said with hesitance. Her harsh tone from earlier also seemed to die out as she continued. "The youngest one of the Three Beast Warriors is Nyau…He was my childhood friend until I said something I shouldn't have…Please allow me to set things right. I want to stop him from continuing the path he's on."

Najenda smiled in amusement and mockery. "Isn't that touching? You want to set him on the right 'path'. I guess that confirms Tennyson's influence on you."

"Th-thanks." Aria said.

"That also confirms how naïve you are." Najenda scowled. "The Three Beast Warriors are a group known to be ruthless in Esdeath's arsenal. From the start, they've been taught rigorously to dedicate mind, soul and body to her alone. If you're so bent on playing 'redemption', then you might as well stay out of this. The Three Beast Warriors must pay with their lives for crossing us."

"But –"

"Just stay out of this, Aria!" Tatsumi interrupted. His reaction was strong and serious as he went and stood next to Spear. The conviction in his voice was then revealed. "I don't understand stuff like politics, but…" He tightened his fist and raised it to his chest level. "…using Night Raid's name to commit these crimes makes me sick!"

Bulat smirked. He was impressed with the teen's response. The same was also for Najenda as she stood up once again. Her metal arm gripped her long black coat over her shoulder.

"Okay, then it is decided!" She stated. "What should we do with the fools who used our name?! Let's go teach the Three Beast Warriors the law of assassins!"

Spear felt a slight hesitation to it. Najenda had purposeful said what she just said before looking at Spear.

"Fear not, Spear! You are simply accompanying them and taking action! What you do with your weapon is up to you in the end!" Then she looked back at everyone. "This shall be a three-person mission!"

"Three-person mission?" Eunice questioned. "But Mine and Sheele are unable to fight."

"I am quite aware, Eunice!" Najenda replied and pointed at Aria. "You want to take part in the mission, then find a weapon and prepare for the journey!"

"What?!" Everyone apart from Bulat shouted in shock.

Aria's offer and Najenda's approval was suddenly in doubt. No one showed it as Najenda's past experience with Night Raid was still remarkable enough to keep away any bad thought. However, it didn't stop Ben from retorting at the woman.

"What's the meaning of this, Najenda?! Aria can't fight in an actual battle!"

"For her to become worthy to fight against the empire, she must gain experience!" Najenda said with a grin. "Besides, she won't be alone! But I won't approve of her holding the others back willingly!"

"You just want her to get killed!"

"This is what it means to fight alongside Night Raid, Tennyson!" Najenda retorted. Her grin didn't change. "You either fight and come back alive or die! The dark reality in this world is what separates ours from yours!"

Ben growled in response. Najenda was purposefully trying to get on his nerve. He wasn't certain if it was due to his threat earlier or if it was something else. Whatever the case is, Bulat intervened by calmly placing his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Take it easy, Ben." He said. "If you want, I'll try my best to limit the amount of danger. I can't say the same with Tatsumi though."

Ben looked over to Tatsumi, but the latter refused to look back. Tatsumi could tell Ben's gaze was on him as he let out a rough huff. Aria was someone the teen rather not talk about with Ben.

Najenda took that chance then to break the small silence.

"Now that we've settled down, here's what you should know about the mission." She said. "There are about five officials who we suspect are being targeted. Of those five, only a few have plans to leave the Capital soon. We have narrowed it down to two officials. Akame, Lubbock and Spear…Tatsumi, Bulat and Aria will provide protection for them! We are not fully aware of the Three Beasts Warriors identity, so Ben will give us Intel about them and their Teigu! This is our chance to cleanse the earth of these fakes!"

"I'll do my best." Ben said in response.

"Thanks, Ben! I'm glad we can count on you!" Tatsumi smirked at Ben. He then turned to Najenda. "Where does the official we need to protect plan to go?"

"The outskirts of the Capital." Najenda answered. "He plans to board the ship that is anchored at the start of the Grand Canal. The massive luxury liner, Rysuusen!"

"Rysuusen? I've heard of it." Aria mentioned. "It's a liner where nobles and upperclassmen and women attend."

"It's also a possible good target." Ben deduced. He turned to Aria. "Just in case, I'll hand you a replica of the communicator I gave Spear. Just…try to be careful if they do show up."

"I will." Aria nodded firmly.

_(LINE BREAK)_

With time, the location changed to the docks. Najenda had decided that the civil servant boarding Rysuusen would be the team with Bulat. But considering this was Tatsumi's first time going to the docks, he was surprised at the massive size of the ship.

"H…HUUUUUUGGGGGEEEE!" He exclaimed.

"Keep it down, will you?!" shushed a female voice.

Tatsumi recognized that voice as it came from behind him. He still didn't like the idea that Aria would be coming with them, thus he sharply turned back to yell at the girl.

"I WASN'T TALKING TO – Huh?"

Tatsumi was taken aback when he noticed a different girl behind him. She had black hair with two sides of it shaped into a bun and the rest of her hair reaching her back. She also wore a blue fancy dress with purple stripes around the waist and shoulders.

"I'm…sorry. I thought you were someone else."

The girl smiled. "Then I guess it really works, Ben." She said to herself.

Tatsumi was confused. He looked around for Ben until he felt a sudden shiver on his hand that made him to shriek a bit.

"Relax, Tatsumi. I'm using Big Chill to stay invisible like Bulat." He said.

"R-Right." Tatsumi muttered. Then he pointed at the black hair girl. "So that is…Aria?"

"Yup! But try to act like we're not here! You already look like a crazy person talking to air."

Aria giggled while Tatsumi took offense to that. Later, both he and Aria stood facing the ship, not wanting to drag attention. Big Chill and Bulat were also there and standing with the person they looked out for. In other words, Big Chill was by Aria while Bulat was with Tatsumi.

"I'm impressed." Bulat said. "She looks completely different."

"I know, right?" Big Chill replied. "She's wearing what is called a DNAlien Mask. It disguises her body, clothes and voice. I found them in the Time Cycle when I was looking through it earlier today. If you want I can hand you one."

"No, I'm fine." Bulat refused politely. "Let us see how the mission goes and then I might ask for one of the masks. It can change a person's sex, right?"

Aria, Tatsumi and Big Chill were dumfounded by that question.

"Uh…sure." Big Chill said uneasily. He was then quick to change the subject as he turned to Aria. "Your whip is hidden within your dress, so try to be careful."

"I will. I promise."

"Then I'm off." Big Chill said, spreading his wings. "See you guys later. Best of luck."

"You too, Ben." Tatsumi said back.

Big Chill flew off soon after. He left Tatsumi, Aria and Bulat to themselves and headed straight for the Capital. However, his absence only brought silence between the three until Tatsumi turned to Aria with a short glare.

"I don't want to work with you, so try to stay out of my way." He said.

"Likewise." Aria said, glaring at him. "I know I can't be forgiven, but I'm going to do what I came here for. Don't forget that, Tatsumi."

' _This might not end well.'_ Bulat thought, referring to Tatsumi and Aria. _'The both of them have never seen eye-to-eye ever since that night. Let's just hope it won't be something both of them will regret. Besides, I have my own problems to deal with…If HE is really a part of the Three Beasts and HE comes on that ship, then I will have…to face him.'_

With that thought, the three could only prepare for what was to come.

"Come on, guys. Let's get on board." Tatsumi said.

Unknown to him and the others, their targets walked by them wearing long cloaks. The hood of the cloak covered their faces from their surroundings, thus allowing them to escape detection. But soon it would not matter. The obedient 'dogs' of General Esdeath were grinning and ready for their next kill.

_(CHAPTER END)_

 **That's where I'm going to stop! Yes, it had no action, but this is just in preparation for the next chapter! They'll be lots of fights and some interesting things going on, so I ask you check out the next chapter.**

 **You may be surprised that Ben isn't joining Bulat, Tatsumi and Aria on the boat. Well considering he had fought them before, I thought it would be better if he takes part in another thing. Believe me, what happens to him will be very interesting to read, especially for all those EsdeathXBen fans.**

 **There's much I would like to say, but I'm just going to stop here. Thanks for taking your time to read this. Please review your thoughts on this chapter. Your support really means much to me, so please also favorite and follow if you haven't. Bye!**


	31. Confrontation

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I am so sorry for the late update! How have you guys been doing?! I've got a great treat for you! Also, here's a change of the usual way I title these chapters!

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!**

Now on to the chapter! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 31: Confrontation**

The Rysuuen was a grand cruise ship never before seen until its completion. It regarded about a million people just to get the construction done, but also increased the dissatisfaction with the empire. Nevertheless, the canal proved to be successful. The canal gained the empire commerce and power upon its opening. The Rysuuen is so popular amongst the high class that the emperor himself could use it. It was just that good. Even Tatsumi, a 'pumpkin-boy', was amazed as he walked about, noticing the fanciness of the main deck.

"Whoa…so gorgeous." He commented.

The teen suddenly felt a push behind him. It came from an invisible Bulat as Incursio as he was quick to explain Tatsumi's fake backstory.

"You are a young master of some wealthy family who is a bit nervous due to the extravagance of the Capital and having to accompany a lady friend of the family." He said. "Don't forget your cover."

"Yeah, bro." Tatsumi replied, turning to Bulat. "It's just…do I really have to work with her?"

The teen pointed to Aria's direction. The girl was still in disguise as a black haired girl in a fancy purple and blue dress. At the moment, she was chatting with some wealthy elites when a joke between them happened and they laughed.

"Look at her…" Tatsumi said with small malice. "This must be nice for her since it reminds her of her days as a monster."

"Tatsumi…" Bulat called. "Do you really think so? Look as much as you want, but there might be more to the girl than you realize. I'm not saying to forgive her. Honestly, what I see right now is her using the skills she's honed in her life to blend in. You're not doing the same thing."

"Whatever." Tatsumi frowned and looked away.

The scene from then on changed when Tatsumi let the fascination of the place remove his mind from the topic of Aria. It wasn't long after that the ship began to leave the port with everyone on board. Bulat then recounted his old days with the man named Liver.

According to the armored assassin, Liver was actually a good man who became victim to the Prime Minister. By not accepting the overweight man's bribes, he was dismissed and charged to a court where he was sentenced away and Bulat was made out as a criminal. Tatsumi was astonished and yet surprised and sad to hear so much from his comrade. Liver sounded different from what Ben and Spear had told them.

' _Just what happened to him?'_ Tatsumi wondered.

Bulat continued. "Then absurdly I made my escape before they captured me, using my Teigu."

"That is so screwed up. That's horrible!" Tatsumi said angrily. "Bro, if Liver was here, would you-"

Tatsumi was cut off when a strange sound came from Bulat's armor. The older assassin knew the reason, and so he spoke.

"Looks like my invisibility is wearing off, I have to take it off for now." He said.

"But they'll recognize your face, right?" Tatsumi questioned. "Go ahead. Leave this area to me."

"Sure." Bulat replied and began to walk away. "I'll investigate the inside. Just try and don't get into any fight with Aria."

Tatsumi didn't answer. He could've, but he turned away to look at the open sea as wind blew lightly against him.

' _I don't want to get involved with her, but…it's not like I have much of a choice.'_ He thought. _'Anyway, bro might have this rough if his former general really shows up. For his sake, I can't let my personal feelings get in the way. If someone that matches their description shows up, I won't overlook them.'_

With that in mind, Tatsumi felt some resolve. He continued to pay attention at the scene until his ears caught the sound of music. It sounded like a flute. Hence, hearing it alarmed him as he pulled out two earplugs.

' _That music is being played by a flute, it can't be by coincidence! They're here!'_

_(LINE BREAK)_

Meanwhile, back at the Capital, at Main Street, a gorgeous woman with an elegant movement was walking by the streets. Her long blue hair swayed a bit with each step she took as she possessed a calm and beautiful smile.

The woman was known verily in the Capital. Her uniform also made it obvious by what her occupation was. She was General Esdeath and she was on a lonely patrol, greeting nicely to passersby as she went by.

Unknowingly, however, the general was being followed from the rooftops. Eunice and Leone made sure not to get close to her. Their reason was due to observation, while the other was because of a certain teenager being late.

"Dammit! Ben's late!" Leone said in annoyance.

From her position at the rooftops, she was on her hands and feet like a cat. Eunice was in a kneeling position with her hands on the rooftop. Both girls had to be careful to not be spotted.

"This is Ben we're talking about." Eunice said and smiled a bit. "He isn't known to always come on time."

"Stupid." Leone commented, referring to Ben. She then moved backwards and sat down. "Well…the ice queen is heading to that ice cream shop now. It doesn't look like she'll make another move."

"It does look that way." Eunice said plainly. "But what she just did that owner is awful. All we're meant to do is observe her, so it's not like we need Ben's help. It doesn't look like Sunny is with her though. That worries me."

"That bitch." Leone snarled a bit. She was quick to punch her fist into her open hand. "She was just lucky! Next time I'll rough her up if I get my hands on her! Just she wait! After we're done taking down Esdeath then –"

"What?!" Eunice questioned. She became suspicious. "Leone, what are you up to?"

Leone's anger dropped and sighed. She knew her cover was blown, so she explained.

"Well…I was waiting till he showed up, but I guess the two of us can take her on." She said. "I was thinking…that the three of us join together and take on Esdeath. With your power to copy the exact abilities of a person, Ben's Ultimatrix and my Teigu, the woman won't stand a chance. It would be a flawless victory."

"No, it's not!" Eunice retorted. "Have you really thought this through?! They're people out there! They might get hurt!"

"But not if we're slow!" Leone shouted back, her smirk increasing. "You and I both know Ben has aliens in his watch that could end a fight in an instant! He could use one of them to get behind Esdeath without her notice and knock her out! Then while the goings good, you can just touch her and freeze her body! I'll come from there and finish her off. It'll be easy! The empire would receive a heavy blow! With her gone, the revolution would be that much easier!"

Eunice said nothing back. Leone's plan sounded flawless, but Eunice couldn't agree. She didn't even bother to speak back to the young woman as she got up. However, her reaction caught Leone's attention as she watched the girl crawl pass her.

"Where are you going?!" Leone asked.

"Away from here!" Eunice hushed at the woman. "You've never faced that woman, but I have! In the moment I saved Ben from getting captured, I saw her right before me! She's not someone that can be killed so easily! For all we know, she could've noticed our presence!"

"You're just exaggerating and scared!"

"Perhaps…" Eunice said and paused. "But have you ever wondered why a person like Sunny would ally herself with just a 'simple' woman?"

Leone didn't answer. In a way, she did answer when she stood up with her back at Eunice's direction.

"Fine…Stay behind. I'll take her on myself." She said.

"No! Don't!"

Eunice was too late. Even with her arm reached out to the assassin, Leone jumped to the next rooftop to soon confront Esdeath. Meanwhile, Eunice stayed still with worry as she watched a small figure of the assassin going.

' _What have I done?'_ She questioned.

Leone was a lot of things, especially stubborn. If she saw an opportunity, she would take it without much of a thought. Thus, when she got on a rooftop in front of Esdeath's direction, she went on all fours like a prey.

' _Look at her, all by herself!'_ Leone thought.

The female assassin could see the general sitting on a bench in front of a store. She had an ice cream cone in her hand as she slowly licked the icy goodness.

' _This is the woman Eunice is so afraid of?! If we went together, I'm sure we can take her on without Ben!'_

However, these thoughts the assassin had sudden;y changed. When Esdeath turned to a way that Leone could see her face, multiple alarms went off all over the blonde's body. To the ordinary eye, Esdeath seemed normal and vulnerable, but not to Leone. The woman could see and feel something else coming off from the woman as if everything was normal.

 _'She… she's taunting me, but how?! Sh-She shouldn't know I'm here...right?!'_ Leone angrily thought as she gritted her teeth seeing the taunting look on her target's eyes that said "come". But even so her body wasn't the same as the animal instincts were telling her to get away from her. That this women was a superior predator who would make her the prey and there was nothing she could do to stop her.

 _'Those eyes… that aura around her… is evil and full of murderous intent! She's daring me to make a move without a care of what'll happen!'_

It was with that resolution and with great displeasure that Leone then came to her conclusion. She immediately left the scene not looking back.

' _Eunice was right. Thinking I could kill her if there was an opening…I was naïve! It's frustrating, but I should follow her advice and my instincts here and retreat!'_

Esdeath felt disappointed. Her prey had retreated before it could be caught. Leone didn't know it, but she had just saved her own life. But then again, even though Esdeath could've easily gone after the assassin, her purpose for being in town was...peaceful. She had an engagement to attend to and she didn't want to cancel it.

"I wanted to try some new torture techniques." She said. She then looked to the sky. "That reminds me…how long till HE shows up. I hate being left to wait, Sunny."

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in else in the Capital, Big Chill made it to the Main Street. The streets were crowded with people as businesses were open like the usual days. Big Chill couldn't see Eunice and Sunny though, which worried him. However, the alien hero couldn't be bothered about it further because of the Ultimatrix. The alien device began to make the familiar beeping and light flashing, alerting him that it's about to timeout. It was a good thing then that the hero flew to a deserted alley and then changed back.

"I guess I'm walking." Ben said. He then raised his arm and looked at the alien watch. "To think I would change back just like that. I guess I should've held back a bit when I was saving that village from those Danger Beasts. What a pain."

With that, the teen was ready to leave. However, a familiar presence caught his attention. He didn't need to look back to know who it was, but he did anyway. Finally, after a long time, he was staring face to face with his evil cousin.

"Sunny, I was wondering when you'd show up. I'm guessing being a lapdog to the empire is the 'fun' you wanted." Ben said.

Sunny giggled sweetly. "Aw, you're worried about me. Isn't that sweet? I'm surprised you recognize me."

"You're wearing purple and black and still have the same clothes Gwen wore over a year ago. You'd have to be either blind or an idiot not to notice, but since you're here I guess you just made things easier for me."

"Easier?" Sunny questioned with curiosity.

"I'm taking you back home." Ben said. "Grandma is worried about you. I know things with your family have been rough, but this isn't the way to go with your life. I don't want to fight you, Sunny. Please, let me help you."

Sunny was quiet. She was standing at the only entrance of the alley, so in a way she was preventing Ben from leaving. But even then, the teen hero could sense some tension from Sunny's silence. There was no telling on what the Anodite would do.

"I don't need help." Sunny said subtly. "Do I look like some damsel-in-distress, Ben? I'm an Anodite! With a snap of my finger, I could wipe out half of this lousy empire from this pitiful earth if I wanted to! That's just how crazy I am!"

"Sunny…"

"Besides, there's other things I need to do." Sunny said. She then began walking towards Ben. "For every moment I breathe, I want only one thing. You; I want you to kill me, Ben. If you're concerned about me, use one of those powerful aliens you have and end me once and for all. I would be so happy."

"You know I won't do that."

"Then, I guess…the blood of the men, women and children I'll murder will be on your hands. Do you think you can handle that?"

Ben was quiet, with the same then for Sunny. The two of them were standing with tension in their eyes staring at each other. While Ben seemed serious and threatening, Sunny was smiling menacingly. But then it changed when the girl did a spin and had her back facing her cousin.

"Anyway, a certain someone wants to meet with you." She said.

"Esdeath." Ben guessed. The woman was the only other powerful figure he could think of that hasn't confronted him yet - at least not 'properly'.

"Correct! You've become quite clever since the last time we fought." Sunny said and then turned back to face her cousin. "Esdeath is becoming interested in you. You might have a shot with her. Besides, have you seen how big her boobs are? They're so huge and better than that blondie with the Teigu."

"That's enough!" Ben yelled. "What's your game in this, Sunny? What do you earn?"

"Entertainment." Sunny chirpily replied. "You see, Ben, this world is nothing but entertainment to me. The people, the animals and the very plants are just actors or actresses or props with different settings. When you think about it, you and I are gods to them. Even without Alien X, we can rule this planet without much a struggle, especially now that you have the Ultimates back."

"But you're not interested in world domination. If you were, you would've tried already."

Sunny nodded and did a backflip. Then she landed on her feet and tilted her head a bit.

"World domination sounds like a bore, don't you think? If I take up the stage, the actors I enjoy watching won't have much of a purpose. You understand me so well, cousin."

"Whatever." Ben replied and sighed. "I'm wasting time with you. I got better things to do."

The teen hero then made his move to leave. He was about to pass Sunny, but she stretched her arm out and stopped him.

"Nu uh, Benny, you still have a date with the ice general herself."

"A date?" Ben said with surprise.

Sunny giggled sweetly and went to Ben's back. Then, with her hands on his shoulders, she drew her face to his ear and said. "Well maybe not. You two barely know each other. But when you think of this opportunity, won't it be okay?"

Ben quickly moved out of Sunny's grip. The Anodite was trying to mess with him, and he could see that. As such, he turned to face her with an accused finger.

"What are you on about, Sunny?" He asked.

"Not much." Sunny answered. "But I've been curious. Esdeath is actually interested in meeting you, not in the battlefield, but just to talk."

"The woman who is responsible for the lives of hundreds –"

"Thousands." Sunny corrected. "But it could be more. I really don't know."

"Right…She wants to talk?" Ben asked. "How am I not sure this isn't a trap? Also, why should I meet her? From what I hear she's supposed to be crazy!"

"This isn't a trap, cuz. If it were, I would've just teleported you to her without your permission. But you're reasonable and I think you know there's something to benefit."

"To benefit?"

Sunny snapped her fingers which made a pink flash. The next thing Ben knew, he was in a dark place until huge images of certain individuals lightened the place. The images were made up on certain political figures with a few Ben recognized such as the deceased people that Night Raid have assassinated. There were even images of the emperor, Honest, General Budo and Esdeath, all of whom were in a hierarchy format.

Sunny was beside Ben and spoke.

"As you see, these are the people who hold power in this earth. A few of them have been killed off by Night Raid. But guess who's at the top four."

"Esdeath." Ben said.

The entire scene changed and Ben and Sunny were back at the alley.

"Now do you see, Ben? Esdeath is very important, so imagine getting her to your side. The empire would barely be able to hold up, and it would probably collapse without her."

"True, but why are you into this?" Ben questioned suspiciously. "If the empire collapses, then you won't gain anything."

"I'm into the drama, Benny. As long as there's conflict, you can bet I'll be there to watch the outcome."

"Yeah that figures…" Ben said as he sighed. His suspicious dropped and he looked mildly annoyed. "Fine then take me to where she is but just know that whatever your expecting won't go as you want it to.

"Yay!" Sunny shouted and clapped her hands cheerfully. "Let's go! Go!"

Immediately, both Sunny and Ben were teleported away in a flash of pink light. It happened suddenly, but it didn't end so badly like Ben would think. The teen hero soon found that he was standing somewhere close to buildings with no sign of Sunny.

"Where am –"

"She actually did it." said a familiar feminine voice.

Ben's heart almost sank upon hearing that familiar voice. He didn't need to know whom he was standing next to, but he did anyway. General Esdeath was sitting at a bench close to him and she was staring at him with intrigue.

"It has certainly been sometime since we last met." Esdeath said. "Welcome, Tennyson. Come and take a seat with me."

' _Esdeath…It's actually her.'_ Ben thought.

It hadn't been a minute and already Ben could sense that there would be a lot going on between him and the strongest person in the empire.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Meanwhile, at the Ryuusen, the situation wasn't looking so good. The Three Beasts had begun their first phase of attack by putting everyone on the ship to sleep. Nyau, the youngest of the three warriors, was in a cabin with Liver, playing a melody with his flute. It was effective, as Tatsumi got to see it back on the main deck.

Everywhere Tatsumi looked, the passengers around him began to fall to the ground unconscious. It was startling, but one Tatsumi kind of felt grateful as he watched the scene.

' _So this is the power of the Teigu, Scream. Good thing I have these earplugs to block out the sound. I'm not sure if I would've been able to stand much of a chance if I actually heard it.'_ He thought.

Tatsumi then noticed someone running back to the ship's inside. It was Aria, and from the looks of it she was wearing earplugs as well.

' _There she goes, probably to get her 'weapon'. I should stay alert just in case –'_

Tatsumi's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Though he couldn't hear much, he watched as Aria was sent flying to the ground. She had been attacked as the person then revealed himself to be Daidara with a wide grin.

"Well, well, this is a bit surprising. There's still someone that's fighting?" He questioned.

Aria was still in disguise, so it wasn't like the huge man recognized her. But then again that didn't change how bad the situation was. Aria quickly got to her feet to run off, but was grabbed by the back of her dress and lifted off the ground.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" He questioned. He then noticed something in her right ear and removed it. From there, he threw the disguised blonde to the ground and looked at the thing in his hand. "Earplugs? Something smells fishy. It almost like you knew about Scream."

Aria shot a glare at him. She refused to answer him, even though it wasn't a question. But before the huge man could say a word, Tatsumi interrupted him when he removed his own earplugs.

"I take it that it's now safe to remove this." Tatsumi said with a glare. "You're the Night Raid imposter; One of the Three Beast Warriors."

"Oh? You know of us?" Daidara asked with a malicious grin. He walked passed Aria and causally went to Tatsumi. "Considering you and the girl know about Scream, I take it you're an accomplice of the Tennyson boy. Where is he? I've been…hoping to finish off from where we stopped."

"He isn't here, and we're not his accomplices! We're Night Raid!" Tatsumi stated strongly.

"Night Raid?" Daidara questioned, his grin widened. "Ho oh! So you're the real ones! This just got interesting!"

The next thing the man did surprised Tatsumi. He went into his coat and threw a sword with a sheath at Tatsumi. The teen was able to grab it, but it didn't change the reason the man gave it to him.

"You want to fight, correct? I figured I could get some experience from this in order to get stronger!" Daidara revealed. "You see, my battle with Ben Tennyson made me realize how weak I am. I need major points in battle so I can fight one-on-one with him again. This should be okay. Besides, it should be easy to fight here since everybody is already out of the way, right?"

"Yeah, true." Tatsumi answered.

Tension for a battle was already in the air, and soon the teen struck. He pulled out the sheath of the sword and threw it at Daidara. The huge man was able to cut the thing into two with his Double-bladed Axe Teigu, when in reality there was more to the attack. Tatsumi was in the air, coming down on him.

"I'll give you an experience. A trip to hell!" Tatsumi shouted.

Daidara chuckled and swung his axe to meet Tatsumi's upcoming attack.

"Excellent! That power! Destroying it will give me great experience!"

Tatsumi was immediately alarmed. A strange and terrifying boost of confidence seemed to make the man frightening to the teen. Fortunately, Tatsumi was able to land by placing his hand on the floor first and then swinging his sword to act as a defense against Daidara's axe. Unfortunately, the brute force of the man was enough to send the teen flying back and landing on his feet.

"Nice! You have good reflexes, boy!" Daidara said.

The huge man then split his double-bladed axe into a single axe in each hand.

"Well then…" He said and then threw one of the axes. "How about this?!"

Tatsumi was quick to dodge, but it didn't end there. Belvacc, the Teigu he was up against was relentlessly coming for him whether he liked it or not. Fortunately, Tatsumi was quick to dodge the axe as it came for him continuously.

"Good! Good! You're able to move quite well!" Daidara said in wicked glee.

Tatsumi clicked his tongue in frustration. He was good at the dodging, but it was only a matter of time till he exhausted himself. It was a good thing he knew about the Teigu prior to Ben telling him and the others about it.

' _If that's how it works, then I can change this to my advantage!'_ Tatsumi thought diligently.

With that, the teen ran straight for Daidara.

"I'LL MAKE IT HIT YOU! PREPARE TO DESTROY YOURSELF!" Tatsumi foolishly revealed.

Daidara grinned in response. Even if Tatsumi didn't reveal his plan, the man was well prepared for him. However, someone then intervened. It was Bulat as he then suddenly punched Tatsumi away with anger.

"Are you an idiot?!" He shouted.

Daidara was comically dumbfounded. He caught the other side of his axe and watched as the new comer began to lecture the teen about his stupid plan of attack. But then it changed when Daidara noticed something about the muscular man.

"You're doing awfully well…The debilitating music was supposed to affect the entire ship. Let me guess, you were wearing earplugs to block the sound, correct?"

Bulat smirked cleverly. "That music, huh….That wouldn't work on me…I didn't need earplugs. The hot blood that flows through my body is not something that can be suppressed by other people!"

' _This guy…He's good.'_ Daidara said, looking at bandaged injury on Bulat's leg. "What an interesting guy." He said. "You gouged yourself and cleared your head with the pain, didn't you?"

"I am Night Raid's Bulat. You can call me Handsome." Bulat introduced confidently.

"I am Esdeath-sama's servant, Daidara of the Three Beast Warriors." Daidara said, introducing himself.

Another battle was building up, and in a way it would be more spectacular than before. Bulat's back was at Tatsumi, when he told the young teen to watch and memorize how he fights. It wasn't long after that Daidara and his comrades came for the muscular man from all directions.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Back at Main Street of the Capital, there was an unusual scene. The teen hero and enemy of the Capital, Ben Tennyson, was seating next to the 'queen' of ice, Esdeath. Another unusual thing was the fact that the both of them were licking individual ice-creams with different tastes, Ben was having strawberry while Esdeath had vanilla.

"Huh…this is actually pretty good." Ben said with mild surprise. "I never took you as the kind of person who would like something sweet."

"Is that so?" Esdeath questioned with a small smile. "What did you think my tastes were?"

Ben felt awkward. "Uh… the kind who drinks the blood of their enemies and maybe pure meat for protein?"

By this point, the teen was ready for an angry response from the 'ice queen'. But it didn't come. Instead Esdeath laughed, which surprised him.

"You're not mad?" He asked.

"No, I'm actually fine with it." Esdeath answered. "If anything, the thought you had of me just confirms you have a strong will despite your perception."

"Uh…sure." Ben turned back to his ice while glancing at the woman in perplexity. _'This woman…is she really the person I met in the Imperial Castle or is she actually a clone Sunny set up? Now that I think about it, Sunny hasn't shown up since teleporting me here. I can't help but shake a bad feeling.'_

"This is quite good." Esdeath said suddenly. She was looking to the sky as she caught Ben's attention. "That reminds me. I should get those three to have some when they return."

"Those three?" Ben questioned.

Esdeath turned to him. "My Three Beast Warriors." She said. "I believe you've encountered them. They told me all about you. Your Teigu, the way you responded to the situation and your…resolve. I'm surprised you haven't gone after them."

Ben unconsciously glanced at where the Ultimatrix would be. It was covered by his green coat, but he moved his arm to his laps from Esdeath's reach. Of course, the woman noticed but said nothing as he replied.

"It's not like I know where they'll strike." He lied. "Besides, from what I saw from when they threw those flyers, I figured Night Raid would take care of them."

"Good intuition. I'll acknowledge that." Esdeath said and licked her ice-cream again. "But also gullible. The idea was always to get to them. I have no doubt that my Three Beast Warriors will fail. After all, they took care of those assassins at the local areas."

Ben's eyes widened. _'The people Najenda mentioned this morning, so she's the cause of their disappearance. But…it's none of my business. They were assassins. They knew the risk to their job.'_

"Are you done?"

"Huh? What?" Ben questioned and was taken aback.

"Your ice-cream. It's melting." Esdeath revealed.

True to her words, the ice-cream the teen was licking was melting. Esdeath had finished her own and quickly called the shopkeeper to get a towel and water which the teen then hesitantly used to clean his hand from being sticky.

The scene soon changed to a busy street. Esdeath and Ben could be seen walking through the place side by side with a small gap. Ben had his hood up to hide his face, which got Esdeath's attention and curiosity.

"The weather is nice and yet you wear a hood over your head. Why?" She asked.

"Well…I kind of attacked your bosses if you remember. I'm probably wanted by now." He answered.

"You're not wanted…at least not officially." Esdeath revealed, surprising Ben. "If you look around, only the symbol of your Teigu remains on the wanted poster."

Ben looked to his right and saw that the woman was right. A few wanted posters were placed on a brick wall. It had a few people like Night Raid's members, but none about him.

' _She's right. Why is that?'_ Ben wondered. He came to a stop and pushed his hood down to reveal his head. "Not to be rude, but why am I not on the wanted list?"

Esdeath came to a stop, but didn't face him.

"I requested it." She then turned sideways to face the teen. "You see, you're presence here intrigues me, especially your actions. I…want to know more about you, Ben. That is why I ordered your cousin to invite you here…willingly, of course."

' _Then I guess that explains why Sunny didn't just teleport me to her side so easily.'_ Ben thought. _'Esdeath is being so straightforward. Is it just to know about me or…is there something else to it?'_

A loud scream was then heard. It was by a woman as her little girl was dragged out of her hand by a thug. The man wasted no time to climb into what looked like an old western wagon pulled by a horse. Thus, in a second, the wagon was sent going with the woman crying out for her child.

"That is unfortunate." Esdeath said. Her mood swiftly changed to a menacing one as she watched the wagon go. "To kidnap someone in my presence, clearly these men know nothing about –"

" **Ditto!"**

With a flash of green light, Ben changed into an alien and ran after the pursuers. The alien he picked was as short as a ten year old and seemed humanoid in nature. It also had green eyes and wore a black and green jumpsuit.

" **Crap! I really have to pick up the pace! Common fellas!"**

Ditto suddenly duplicated himself into a human ladder. This meant that each Ditto he created was on top of another one until they were over the fleeing wagon. Thus, the highest Ditto used that chance to jump over the wagon and land before the horse, facing it.

 **"Booooo!"** He shouted.

The horse was instantly spooked as it lifted its front hooves in fear. The man who was riding it was shocked and scared before falling to the ground. But it didn't end there. Two men peeked out from the back of the wagon and were surprised at what they saw. There was about twelve duplicates of Ditto running towards them.

"Holy shit! What the hell?!" shouted one of them.

"Shoot them! Shoot them!"

Quickly, the one with a gun began to shoot at the Ditto. Fortunately, the alien clones saw the bullets coming and quickly evaded it.

" **Scatter!"** shouted one of them.

With their quick evasion, each Ditto was able to dodge the bullet and keep the shooter's focus off them. It was even a good thing, as it gave the Ditto that had stopped the horse the chance to get on top of the wagon and then fall on top of shooter's shoulders.

" **HAHAHA! Got your nose!"** The Ditto laughed childishly. He also was grippingthe man's nose with his large hands and stirring him off balance.

"G-Get off me!" The man cried out.

The shooter tried as much to get free, but he failed. The Ditto on him was able to cause him to fall out of the wagon, leaving the other guy on his own.

"Fuck this! I'm getting out of here!" The other guy shouted.

The man knew he didn't stand a chance against these small lookalike creatures. Thus, with fear, he jumped out of the wagon and made a run for it. However, in his haste, a Ditto noticed him and quickly intervened. By that, he slide to the man's leg like a footballer/soccer player and swung his leg against the man's ankle.

" **Not so fast!"** The Ditto shouted.

The man screamed and hit the ground hard. But it didn't end there. Before the man knew it, about four Dittos pounced on him, with the forth even replicating a wrestler and using his elbow to strike the man's back. He was down in an instant.

With that, the rescue seemed almost over. The shooter had been confiscated of his gun as three Dittos held him down while another one playfully twirled with the weapon. Not surprising, this scene caught a lot of passersby attention as they watched two Ditto head over to the wagon.

" **Good work, guys! We're almost done."** said a Ditto. He then noticed his clone that was twirling a gun. **"Hey! Watch how you twirl that thing, stupid!"**

The Ditto twirling the gun stuck his tongue out at the Ditto in response. This didn't go well, as it immediately caused the other Ditto to tackle the clone.

One Ditto duplicate ended up sighing and looking away. **"These guys…'** He mumbled.

Unlike the two conflicting Dittos, this present one decided to get back on the mission. He opened the curtains at the entrance of the wagon with a small welcome smile.

" **Hey, kid, we're here to…Oh shit."** He said.

In front of the Ditto, a skinny man was holding the little red haired girl hostage. He had his arm around her neck and a knife to her eye as he stared at the Ditto in fear.

"S-Stay back! I'll kill her!" He warned irrationally.

" **Woah! Woah! Drop the knife, dude! No one has to get hurt!"** Ditto said cautiously.

"No! I said stay back! I'll fucking kill her!" The man said and wept. "Th-This wasn't how it was meant to be! I just want some money to eat!"

" **By kidnapping her?"** Ditto said and his eyes became menacing from hearing the pitiful reason behind this ordeal. **"You know what man, you've just lost my sympathy."**

"Pl-Please…" The girl cried in the man's arms. "…I just want to see my mummy."

"I said shut up!" The man shouted.

Finally, the man couldn't cope. Hence, out of pressure and anxiety, he raised the back of his knife to strike down on the girl. Ditto shouted in shock and fear at the man's action, but could do nothing. Fortunately, a certain alien's hand then broke the wood behind him and grabbed the man's arm before it could strike the girl.

"What the –" The man stuttered.

Before the man knew it, another hand broke through the wood at his other side and grabbed his other hand. But unlike the other hand, the person responsible was facing him with a childish grin.

" **Heeeeere's Ditto! Wanna play?!"**

The man screamed in response and got his arm bitten by the revealed Ditto. The girl he held captive was instantly free and she ran into the opens of the Ditto at the entrance.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She cried.

Ditto smiled in response and stroked her head in response. It felt good to save the little girl's life, but the scene wasn't over yet. The skinny thief was left in horror as he screamed while more hands from more Ditto clones broke through the wall, grabbing every part of his upper body. It also didn't help that the clones were laughing as they overpowered the man and pulled him through the wooden wall.

" **That…That was traumatizing."** The lone Ditto said. **"Now I feel sorry for him… Wait, on second thought naaaah"**

Finally, the rescue was over. The lone Ditto carried the little girl like a baby and jumped out of the wagon. The people watching were confused and scared to do anything, but it then changed. A woman whom Ditto recognized as the mother approached the main Ditto and soon the mother and daughter were reunited.

"Did you see that? Those monsters rescued the girl." said one guy.

"You're right! What's with that?" asked one woman.

"Who cares?! Those things are heroes!" shouted another guy.

With that, a loud united joyful cry shook the air. It could even be heard from afar as the people around were clearly grateful for what happened. Ditto and his duplicates were surprised by it at first, but they recovered with some of them even feeling cocky about it.

" **Now this is what we've been looking for!"** said one Ditto. He was one of the Dittos on top of the shooter.

 **"You got that right, brother! Now this is kind of reaction we should be getting."** Another Ditto said.

" **Yeah…"** agreed another Ditto. **"But I can't help but feel we forgot something."**

The cheers came to a sudden end when a single presence was felt. Esdeath had arrived, and with a slam of her high heel to the ground, there was complete silence. The general was accompanied by some Imperial guards as she stood in the middle of the road.

"Those creatures are with me, arrest the men." Esdeath commanded.

Her order was immediately carried out by the Imperial guards. The Ditto clones were taken aback by her presence, but they allowed the guards to do their jobs. In fact, what seemed to be the main Ditto approached Esdeath with a few of them close to him.

" **Uh…Took you long enough?"** Ditto said and laughed nervously.

Esdeath smiled in response. "Intriguing, so you can turn into a small army." She said.

" **Yup! But we can be more if we want!"** stated one other Ditto clone.

" **Shut up, stupid!"** The main Ditto yelled.

Unfortunately, it seemed his 'order' was ignored. Another Ditto, which appeared clueless, was in refusal.

" **But it's true, you know."** The Ditto said with a cocky grin. **"We got Echo Echo who can do the same with better offense power. We're unstoppable when you think about."**

" **Didn't you just hear what I said?!"** The main Ditto yelled.

" **Hey! Don't bully him, stupid! Who do you think you are?!"** yelled one Ditto.

" **I'm not bullying him! I'm you, stupid!"**

" **Not cool men!"** shouted another Ditto.

The next thing the Dittos knew, a fight broke out between their small numbers. Another Ditto even mentioned it as he punched his fist into the air.

" **Ditto fight!"** The Ditto was then tackled by a clone of his.

Meanwhile, there was Esdeath. The passersby watching had begun to leave the scene due to the 'ice queen' and the strange fight going on. At the same time, the Imperial guards didn't seem to mind what was going on as they just took the thugs away. But it was then at that moment that a number of three Dittos who had handled the last thug came into the scene angrily.

" **Hey! Hey! Why the hell do I feel like a bunch of idiots are kicking our asses just now?!"**

The Ditto clone was suddenly tackled by three other versions of himself. It happened so suddenly, but the impact definitely hurt as everyone of them could feel it. Nevertheless, one of the two clones not fighting just sighed and turned to the wheel of the wagon next to him.

" **Looks like there's only one thing to do."** He said.

" **What's that?!"** asked the other clone.

The Ditto answered by kicking his foot against the hard wooden wheel. Of course, it hurt, which was the intention. Since all Ditto felt similar pain, none of them could ignore the sudden pain at their foot. Hence, in unison, all of them cried out in pain with some holding their foot in their hand and hopping about. The others that were on the ground ended up rolling about, holding their foot.

' _Interesting…'_ Esdeath said with fascination. _'With what I've seen, these… creature he turned into can not only increase its numbers, but also have a small distinct personality from one another. I would've found this form to be of better use, but considering it can feel pain from the others…it's weak in my eyes. But still…why am I entertained by this version of him?'_

Esdeath was curious now. Something about the Ditto clones seemed to make her feel lightened in heart. Thus, without saying a word, she approached one Ditto and knelt on one knee before him and placed her hand on its hurt leg. A small bit of icy mist then came from her hand, easing the pain.

"This should ease the rest of you. How do you feel, Tennyson?" Esdeath asked.

" **Uh, fine."** The Ditto said nervously. Both his cheeks even blushed as he stared at the woman's face. But his eyes noticed the woman's huge cleavage. **"Woah! Sunny was right! You really do have a nice rack!"**

All the other Dittos immediately fell to the ground, dumbstruck at their fellow duplicate. Apparently, speaking so straightforward to the woman in such a perverted manner was too much. But the clone was clueless as he stared at his immovable-selfs.

" **What? Did I say something wrong?"** He asked with cluelessly.

Esdeath coughed lightly to hide her shock. For some reason, she could feel her heart slightly beat faster just from what the Ditto clone had said. But with this scene came an idea and soon the woman recovered and carried the Ditto under her arm. Her action caught the attention of the others.

"With all of you here, I think it would be logical if I take this one for a little while. I'll have him returned; I guarantee it." She said.

" **Eh?!"** shouted one Ditto.

" **Wait, hold on!"** said another Ditto.

However, despite their numbers, they were too late. Esdeath jumped to a rooftop and sprinted off. Her speed was remarkable, as in a blink of an eye she was already far for them to barely see her figure.

" **She's fast…"** said one Ditto.

" **Dude, not now!"** Another Ditto yelled.

" **He's right!"** A third Ditto said. He then panicked as he clutched his head. **"Without that Ditto here, we can't changed back! In other words, we just fucked up!"**

" **And who's idea was it to turn into us anyway?!"** asked an extra Ditto.

" **Now's not the time!"** stated one Ditto, pointing at the direction Esdeath had left. **"After her!"**

" **YEAH!"** All the Dittos shouted simultaneously. They immediately ran forward with the intention to get their clone back.

_(LINE BREAK)_

" **This…is not what I expected."**

With the lone Ditto separated from its group, he found himself sitting next to Esdeath on a rooftop. The both of them were by themselves as the people below didn't seem to know their presence in the area. But Ditto couldn't help but feel tense around the woman. Fortunately, she was quick to assure him.

"You can rest easy. I do not plan to take you away with me for long." She said.

" **Huh…okay."** Ditto said and looked away. An awkward silence then happened between the two as the Ditto decided then to whistle by himself. But then he was taken aback when Esdeath suddenly spoke up.

"Where and what are you, Tennyson?" Esdeath asked, looking at him. "In all my life…I've never met a young man such as you. You saw a kidnapping and didn't hesitate to stop it. I'm even certain you didn't wish to transform in my presence, so I'm guessing it was out of instinct, am I right?"

" **You…ask a lot of questions huh."** Ditto said plainly.

Esdeath was slightly taken aback. She had been certain to sound somewhat threatening. But here she was, staring at a duplicate of a boy she knew little about. If it were any other man, they would've been terrified or tried to build a strong front against her as resistance. But Ditto wasn't, and in a way it caused her to smile a bit.

"I did, didn't I?" She asked. She suddenly patted the teen on the head and smiled at him. "You're much different from your cousin."

" **See, there you go again asking a question."** Ditto pointed out. He then felt embarrassed and nervous when Esdeath began to stroke his head nicely. **"You're not…getting addicted to this version of me, right? Because…um, I already had a girl who did that once with another transformation I have."**

"She sounds like a problem. Did you two ever…became one in a relationship?"

" **Become one in a relationship? That's weird to say, Esdeath."** Ditto said, looking at her. He then looked away and smoothly frowned. **"But yeah, after six years we did end up together. But like the rest of the girls I dated, we didn't last. Different reasons came in the way and the next thing we knew we just went our separate ways. Weird…the future seemed so bright for us. Some guy I know even mentioned we were going to get married."**

Esdeath felt annoyed at hearing the last part. She didn't know it, but it was an instinct rejection at the thought that Ben would've been married to the girl. However, she didn't say anything about it as she continued rubbing his head.

"In my experience, the future is what you lay for yourself, not what others tell you." Esdeath said confidently. "I can sense sadness in you. You must have loved this girl very much. She was foolish to let you go."

Ditto snapped in response. He didn't like what Esdeath said, and thus he turned to her angrily.

" **Kai isn't foolish! I broke up with her! It...it was my fault!"**

Esdeath was surprisingly calm. She hadn't expected the outburst, but it was clear to her that Ditto was feeling hurt from the breakup as she pulled her hand off him.

"Are you certain, Tennyson?" Esdeath asked. Her question offended Ditto, but she continued. "If this girl truly loved you, she wouldn't have let you go. I know for certain that if I ever fell in love with someone, that person would be the one I'll cherish for the rest of my life."

" **Whatever."** Ditto said stubbornly and wrapped his arms under his shoulders. **"What's with you anyway?"**

"Me? You want to know about me?" Esdeath asked. A bit of her was surprised, but it was covered as she looked forward, at the direction of the sun. "My story isn't such as yours. I've never fallen in love. Back in my younger years, I lived in the snowy mountains with my father and a village. It was a peaceful life. My father taught me the difference between being strong and weak and trained him to become that strong. But it all ended when my village was wiped out and I was the only survivor. Since then I swore I'll never become weak."

" **Lame."** Ditto commented. His remark offended Esdeath slightly, but he didn't seem to notice as he continued. **"No wonder you haven't fallen in love. I don't know much about your experience, but I have the Ben Tennyson experience. Live life to the best you can, cherish what you can get and see to it that what you have is protected…because what you have could be taken away before you know it."**

' _Live life to the best you can, cherish what you can get and see to it that what you have is protected.'_ Esdeath repeated in her mind and looked to him. In an instant her heart sank as she saw a smile across unlike any she had seen before. _'A beautiful smile…Despite being like this, he can show something so simple and admiring. I wonder…how would it be if he was as a human again? There's no denying it…His cousin was right…Today, he's passed all my expectations. I want him to myself alone.'_

" **Uh, Esdeath? Hello?"**

Esdeath was quick to get back to reality. Ditto was staring at her confused, but the woman was able to resolve it.

"My apologies, I was in thought." She said and then stood up. Her long blue hair blew blissfully in the air as she looked onward. "Tennyso – No, I mean Ben. How would you like to come with me? I know if it's just you, once you merge with your other...selves your decision will remain." She then turned to Ben with a beautiful smile. It astonished Ditto as a kind and passionate presence seemed to be on the woman. "Be by my side, you can earn many things such as money, fame and an official title as a hero. In return, let me train you and…get close to you, because I see now that you are the one."

" **The… one?"** Ditto asked, confused by her last words.

Before anything else could be said, however, they were interrupted. The Ultimatrix symbol on Ditto's forehead began to flash and blink as the device had clearly run out of power. Ditto didn't even get to have a say on it as he was suddenly lifted off the rooftop by the Ultimatrix and sent flying to a specific direction.

' _What was that just now?'_ Esdeath wondered in curiosity.

Meanwhile, there was a similar thing happening with the other versions of Ditto. The Ultimatrix symbol on their forehead began to beep and flash before taking them away to a specific direction. All the clones screamed when it happened until they merged together with the lone Ditto and became one again. The Ultimatrix then engulfed the alien in a flash of light, changing him back to Ben Tennyson again.

"Huh?!" Ben said. He was briefly confused until gravity took over. In other words, he was falling to the ground.

' _Not good! Not good! This isn't like the day I first used Ditto, Ultimatrix! There's no water!'_ Ben thought frantically.

With each second that passed, Ben was drawing close to the ground. His scream could even be heard from the people below. Fortunately, the teen hero was then saved. Esdeath had caught up to him, and before he knew it he and the woman was on another rooftop where she then placed him there.

"If I didn't know better, I would've thought you were trying to get away from me, Ben." Esdeath said, facing him. "But…what happened then wasn't of your doing. It was your Teigu, am I right?"

"Uh, sure." Ben replied, trying to catch his breath.

"Ben…" Esdeath called out. Her voice held dedication and honesty as she stared at the teen. "Do you remember what I offered?"

Ben was quiet. He indeed remembered, but he waited until he got back on his feet and glared at Esdeath.

"I remember and, while I'm really flattered, I'm sorry to say that I'll have to decline your offer." Ben said honestly. "We're from different worlds that conflict with each other. Even if you have some sweet and kind moments…and... clearly very beautiful, I can't return the feelings of a woman who would get her hands bloody for the sake of the empire. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your feelings."

"Hmph!" Esdeath's smile changed. She approached the teen and cupped her hand on his cheek and revealed a sly look. "You seem to be mistaken, Ben; it was never a matter of choice. Do you want to know why? It's because I am certain on one thing. I will make you fall for me. Your former lover may have let you go, but you can be certain that I won't. That, I swear on my life."

Ben said nothing back. It wasn't out of fear or low self-esteem. It was because he felt a bit flustered by her as his cheek felt her hand which was cold and yet also soft. Despite that, however, he did manage to maintain a glare at the woman even thought his cheeks were almost blushing from the contact. Both their expression seem to conflict with one another, but Esdeath didn't care. She removed her and turned away from him and began walking away.

"This was a formal meeting. I won't keep you from leaving. But just know this…" She turned her head to Ben. "…the next time we meet, you will be mine."

"I'd like to see you try." Ben finally said.

Esdeath laughed and disappeared from Ben's sight. It wasn't by magic or a Teigu, but by her own physical prowess. Nevertheless, Ben was certain about another thing about Esdeath as he stared at where she once stood.

' _She's incredibly fast…There's no denying that fact. I'll have to be careful the next time we meet.'_ Ben thought strongly.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **That's where we'll stop for now. Thank you all for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it! This chapter was originally supposed to cover most of the stuff about the Three Beast Warriors, but I then realized how rushed and repeated some scenes would be if I continued. Thus, I decided to expand the interaction between Ben and Esdeath in this chapter than leave it to the next chapter. My beta-reader had been looking forward to this chat between the two of them, so I hope you enjoyed it as well.**

 **You may have noticed from Esdeath and Ditto's conversation that they were talking about Kai. This story (as a reminder) takes place after Ben 10: Omniverse. I never really liked the idea that Ben ended up together with Kai. She just...didn't seem perfect for him. Maybe in the original series until she turned into a bitch, but certainly not in Omniverse. So yeah, you can see that Ben broke up with her. This means that the Ben 10, 000 in Omniverse is not the one we know in this fanfiction.**

 **Now to some review I wish to address.**

 **-REPLIES TO SOME REVIEWS-**

 **BrRosabal22 – Thank you for your review. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten what I said about the Esdeath and Ben relationship. To be honest, I figured that at this point that everyone had forgotten. I even thought that "Hey, maybe I should experiment with the idea a little bit since no one seems to talk about it". But reading your review has made me become firm with my stand earlier. Ben won't fall for Esdeath.**

 **Archon – A one-shot does sound good, but I can't think of how that setting would be. I'm also a fan of rare relationships in stories, so I understand. Maybe in the future I'll come up with a one-shot like you suggested.**

 **Strongraider 101 – Thank you! I'm glad this fanfiction actually inspired you! That means so much! I'll keep updating!**

 **_(END)_**

 **That's all for now, guys! Thank you so much for your support. The next chapter will focus back on the Three Beast Warriors and their battle against Night Raid. Sunny may show up again and have a rematch with Akame. Hopefully, it'll go better for the assassin.**

 **Please review! Also, don't forget to favorite and follow this fanfiction! Bye!**


	32. Onboard the Rysuusen

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I am so sorry for the late update! How have you guys been doing?! I've got a great treat for you! Also, here's a change of the usual way I title these chapters!

Also, a big shoutout to a very old time reviewer that goes by the name CyberActors15. I'm glad to see you're back to reading my fanfictions again. Thanks for your criticism. I'll try to improve this as I go on.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!**

Now on to the chapter! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 32: Onboard the Rysuusen**

Tatsumi sat on the floor in awe of his comrade in Night Raid. Though he was still a newbie in the infamous group of assassins, the teen had seen more than his fair share of power display. But still, the thing he had had witnessed had left him in a feeling of awe.

Bulat was too cool. Following his introduction with Daidara, the other "pets" of Esdeath, Liver and Nyau, had come after Bulat from all sides. Tatsumi had been so certain his friend was done for, but he was wrong. Bulat had singlehandedly sent the Three Beast Warriors back, including cutting Daidara in a perfect half. Now it was just the other two left and they were on momentarily unresponsive.

Thus, from a pause, Tatsumi smirked a bit. Bulat's back was facing the teenage boy, so he couldn't see it. But he had a feeling on what Tatsumi felt when he spoke.

"I knew you were strong, but…I didn't know you were this amazing, bro!"

"Right?" Bulat said with a boastful tone. He turned back to Tatsumi fully. "My nickname back when I was in the army was '100 man slayer Bulat'"

"But strictly speaking…" said another voice. Bulat knew its familiarity, as well as where it was coming from. Liver, a man Bulat knew certainly, was back on his feet and heading towards him. "…you had actually killed 128 people." He added. "At the time, you were doing very well against the special forces."

Bulat said nothing back. The tension in the air was causally rising as each bold step was made by Liver. The older man himself had a glaring look on his face as he finally figured out who was within the armor.

"That Teigu you wear…so it is you, Bulat!"

"General Liver." Bulat said, almost casually. If this incident had happened unexpectedly, he would've been surprised. But due to Ben's information, he had known about the man the moment he had fought him and the others back.

"You don't sound surprised. I guess you did attack me knowing well of who I am." Liver replied calmly. "For your information, I am no longer a general. After Esdeath-sama saved me, I became her servant."

Tatsumi scowled a bit. _'So this really is him…He fits Ben's description well.'_

For a moment after, silence took over. Both men who once stood with one another were now standing in an atmosphere that could get deadly. The only difference, however, was the fact that Bulat was disappointed to see the truth about his old superior. His armor hid that one fact, though.

In the end, there wasn't much Bulat could do except be prepared for the fighting coming. He spun his huge double-bladed spear in his hand.

"If you were my ally, we could have a drink to celebrate this reunion." He said and then stopped his spear. From there, he got into a stance with both hands on the weapon determinedly. "But for appearing as an enemy, the mission must come first!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Liver replied, pushing his hand forward. "I absolutely must complete my mission, and I will, using this Teigu I received from my master."

And so the battle between former allies began.

* * *

Aria had slipped away while she could and removed the DNAlien mask. On whether Bulat and Tatsumi stood a chance against the Three Beast Warriors was unknown to her. She knew she would be useless with her weapon, thus she headed to the cargo hold.

However, the run there wasn't so smooth. Everywhere Aria went was covered with bodies of unconscious people. They weren't dead, fortunately, but time was ticking for her as she ran to her destination.

"So this is your work, Nyau." Aria said, muttering to herself. "To think this gift of yours would be used this way…I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. But…" Her eyes became determined. "I won't run, not now. I'll save you…just as HE saved me."

Her mind flashed back to when Ben saved her from Tatsumi. Though she was still evil at the time, she did feel some gratefulness for his action. Then her mind flashbacked to the moment in the woods Ben had beaten most of Night Raid all on his own. Again, she wasn't in the best of mental state when she had tried to kill Akame. But now, remembering all this, she realized what she had to do and moved on.

But even then she wasn't at a good start. For one, after she got to where the cargoes are in the ship, she didn't know where her weapon was. And with the piles of woodened boxes and other visible objects staking the area, Aria wasn't certain.

"Damn it, Ben! Where did you keep it?!" Aria yelled to herself. She ran through the area looking for her weapon. "I know you don't want me to be in the fight, but I won't let you stop me now! I'll find that thing and...and I'll save Nyau!"

* * *

Flashback to four years ago, the Goodricke Mansion still stood firm. The backyard, a garden, was currently conducting a party with rich aristocrats present and mingling with one another. This especially went for their kids, who would imitate their parents in hopes of getting higher in society than them one day.

However, there was something off. A young Aria knew this as she wondered the forest in search of what she could only describe as a flute being played. To her it sounded beautiful and flawless as its player played every musical note in perfect harmony.

So even if it meant separating herself from her family, she followed this music until she stumbled upon the person playing. It was a young boy around her age, dressed in a fancy blue coat, white shirt and blue pants. He seated at a tree, pleasuring playing with a silver flute while his back was lying on the tree. He didn't seem to notice Aria until she stepped to his view, causing him to shriek.

Aria didn't seem bothered by his reaction. She stood with a sly smile as she watched the boy fall on his back.

"So you're the one playing that music. To be honest with you, I find it much delightful then music in the party." She said.

"Uh...th-thank you." The boy said shakily.

Aria's approach changed, From her position, she could see how timid the small boy was and, in a way, felt sorry for him. That is why she then reached her hand out to him.

"My apologies, I didn't realize that I caught you off guard." She said. "My name is Aria Goodricke. What is your name? By your attire, I can tell you're also part of noble blood."

"Uh…yes." The boy nodded. He hesitantly took Aria's hand and allowed her to help him back on his feet. Then he did a short bow at her. "I-I am Nyau Mosvelt. I-It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise." Aria pleasantly said.

From there, the young Nyau was taken aback. Aria clasped her hands on his right hand and brought her face close to his own. It happened so fast, and the boy fidgeted in response. But again, Aria didn't mind her attitude.

"Can you play it again…for me?" She asked.

"What?"

"The flute…Can you play it for me?! It was so beautiful to listen to!"

Nyau paused and glanced at his hand which held the flute. "I-I don't know. I'm not…good with being around people, that is why I was here by myself. I know I'm pathetic for a noble."

"You're right, you are pathetic." Aria said. Her response dejected the young Nyau, but she continued. "But you're honesty is spot on."

Nyau looked to her, confused. Aria's attitude had shifted slightly, but not enough to raise any alarms. She even brought her hand and his own hand to be between their faces as she smiled widely.

"Come with me and I'll be your big sister! You may be pathetic, but you're pretty cute!"

"Cu-Cute?"

"Yup." Aria said and licked her lips. "Besides, I can make you the proper noble deserving of the empire and…a future wife like myself."

"Eh…?" Nyau was taken aback. He blushed madly as his eyes widened at what he heard.

The moment then escalated when Aria moved in and kissed him on the lips. Nyau was too surprised that he shrieked and fell on his butt again. This time Aria giggled and began walking away.

"Well?" The girl stopped and turned her head to him. "Come on, we have much to do together, right?"

Nyau paused, but then nodded hastily. As much as he would admit things were going too fast, there was something about Aria that memorized him. Hence, the young boy stopped and dusted his trousers, before running off to Aria's side.

* * *

Two months passed, and with it their relationship grew. Nyau was seated on a long couch, playing for a certain blonde girl while she was lying there with her head on his laps. Nyau tried so hard not to be distracted by the cute face staring at him. This wasn't the first time Aria was doing this to him, and he doubt it would be the last. But he played anyway until his music came to an end before he hesitantly looked down to Aria's face.

"Well…what do you think?" He asked.

"I think…" Aria said, getting back on her seat. "I think it's perfect. You're truly one of a kind, Nyau."

"Th-Thank you, Aria-san." Nyau said.

"Enough with the honorifics. Just call me Aria since we're friends."

"Fr-Friends?!"

"Yes, friends." Aria said. Then a teasing smile formed on her face and she scouted closer to him. "Unless…you want to be more than that, future husband."

Nyau blushed madly and looked away. This was always a thing Aria would do to him. It made him confused and at the same time wanting as well. However, the mood changed when a knock was heard and made the two kids to turn to who it was.

Nyau was slightly taken aback. The person standing there was a ten year old boy with brown hair dressed in poorly made clothes. Nyau was about to question about him, when suddenly Aria turned to him with a sweet smile.

"Ah, what are you doing here, John-san? I thought the maids were meant to take you to your room. I'm kind of busy here." She said.

"Yes…Sorry about that."

Aria giggled. "No, it's fine. Mistakes happens, am I right? Please go down the hall, I think there should be someone who can help you. I'll meet up with you at dinner. I hope you don't mind."

"Right!" The boy nodded. "Thank you, Aria-san!"

"You're welcome!"

The boy then closed the door. Unknown to him, however, Aria's sweet face instantly changed into one of pure disgust. Nyau was surprised about it, but didn't get the chance to talk about it. This was because the girl got down from the couch in obvious anger as she headed to the window.

"Damn that useless piece of cattle meat! What the hell was he doing?! I'm going to make sure I beat him good tonight!"

"Aria?"

The blonde girl came to a stop. In her anger, she had forgotten Nyau was around and listening. But she didn't panic at all. In fact, she instantly became composed as she turned back at him.

"Nyau, do you remember what you told me once, that you wanted to be the perfect nobleman?" She asked.

"Yes." Nyau said. He was uncertain of what was going on.

"Then it's best you know this." Aria replied, turning to him fully. "As nobles, we stand in a class far better than the peasants of this world. You can even say that we're the true humans blessed by god to prosper. In other words, anything lower than us is just fodder, an animal, insect or just about any lower creature you can think of."

"I…don't understand."

"Then I will show you…tonight." Aria said. She then got close to Nyau and grabbed his hand softly. Then, with saddened eyes, she added. "Just…promise me you won't tell anyone. I want to help you…I want to help us. Do you understand, Nyau? Some people refuse to understand how the world truly works, but I know I can trust you."

"Uh…sure. I-I trust you too, Aria." Nyau said and smiled.

"Thank you." Aria smiled back at him.

* * *

Nyau couldn't get over what he had seen. Ever since he allowed Aria to show him what she mentioned, he hadn't left his room after returning home. His room was almost dark, as the only ray of light was through the small spaces of his closed curtains. But none of it mattered. Nyau felt too disgusted to be bothered.

He supposed it was for the best. He just wanted to be alone by himself. However, he suddenly heard footsteps passing his bed. The next thing he knew, someone opened the curtains, thus flooding the room with light again.

His room was big, as expected of a noble. However, it wasn't the size that got the young boy's attention when he removed his blanket. No, it was the fact that Aria stood by the now opened curtains with her back at him.

"That's better, right? Light, it's something we higher beings are blessed with." Aria said pleasantly.

"Why…?" Nyau asked. His face was frozen to fear as he stared at the girl. "Why did you come here…? I...I told you I won't tell anyone. I swear."

"Swear? I guess you really did that." Aria said and then turned to him. "But that isn't why I'm here. I'm just…really concerned about you."

"Concerned?"

"Yes."

Aria walked over to him. Though the distance between them wasn't much, Nyau felt like time was slowing down with each step she took. It then felt like it resumed back to normal when she sat at the edge of his bed and faced him.

"You poor thing. I should've been gentle with you." Aria said with a sympathetic voice. "I just…I thought you would understand…to make you a better noble. I'm so sorry."

There was then a pause. Nyau didn't know what to say. He was looking at Aria, but he could tell how sympathetic she was towards him. Still, he said nothing and so Aria let out a sigh and got down from the bed.

"If you want, you can forget what happened…including me. I'm sorry for bothering you. Goodbye." She said.

With that, their friendship came to an end – at least that's how it was supposed to be. Aria was just about to reach her hand to the doorknob when she heard Nyau call out to her.

"Aria!" He shouted.

The young girl smirked mischievously. Nyau had fallen into her trap, but it was too soon to say for certain. Still, she remained where she was and listened to what the boy had to say.

"I…I'm sorry." Nyau said with sadness. Then his voice became depressing as he looked down at his covered knees. "It's just that…I never thought we could do something like that and it would be considered okay. My parents have always been busy so I never knew anything outside the education I received from tutors. That is why…"

Aria remained unmoved. Meanwhile, Nyau tightened his hand on the bed and paused to resolve himself. Then with a loud voice, he faced Aria.

"Teach me how to be a noble! I want to learn everything from you, Aria-san!"

Her grin increased. Sometime had passed, but she finally had him where she wanted him. Thus, when she turned back at him, her grin was already a tearful smile as she wiped her cheek.

"I'll do my best, Nyau-chan."

* * *

Back in the present, Nyau sneezed as he sat up from the stack of crates on the deck. Bulat's kick had unexpectedly hurt, but he was fine still. As such, he was awake to see the battle between Bulat and Liver.

' _What was with that sneeze? I don't feel cold.'_ He thought with a physical wince. _'Anyway, that guy's strength puts him about at Esdeath-sama's level, but…'_ He picked up his Teigu, a flute, and got ready to play it. _'…Liver can beat him fighting in this canal, especially if I play a song!'_

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Nyau was then surprised. Tatsumi came down on him with his sword. However, the other boy was able to react as he swiftly got back on his feet and used the attack to defend against the other teen's sword. His reflex was amazing, but Tatsumi wasn't impressed.

"You don't think I would just let you start playing again, did you?!" Tatsumi said with a smirk.

"This guy…" Nyau sent his own toothy smirk. "Such a nuisance."

Both fighters separated from one another, and away from the crates.

' _This guy is fast, but I can beat him!'_ Tatsumi thought solemnly.

Nyau came at him with a swing of his flute. Tatsumi blocked it with his sword, before then sending a kick at the other teen's stomach. Nyau let out a grunt, but landed on his feet as it skidded back. He then came to a stop on his arms and feet like a predator.

With the way things were, Nyau was becoming serious. This was obvious when he then ran straight for Tatsumi, swinging his flute at him from the front. Of course, Tatsumi was able to block and deflect them as they came, but Nyau wasn't done yet.

With his speed increasing, the blonde teen jumped over Tatsumi when he was his swung. The young assassin was surprised by the attack, but was too late to react. This was because Nyau, while upside down, kicked Tatsumi's back and sent him flying.

' _Shit! This guy…he picked up his speed!'_ Tatsumi thought. He was quick to land on his feet and turn to charge at his opponent. "But…"

And then came multiple clashes. Tatsumi and Nyau couldn't hit the other person due to their weapons. They were both becoming fast, as their determination to strike the other grew stronger.

"...Akame is much faster than this!" Tatsumi cried out.

"Ha! Don't compare me to some assassin!" Nyau stated furiously.

Both eventually broke off, with Tatsumi doing a couple of backflips to give him some distance. He was growing tired due to the prolonging of the battle. Thus, he panted, with Nyau doing the same until he (Tatsumi) stood straight with a serious look.

"You're right! I should compare you to Aria since I'll cut you both down!"

"What?! Aria?!"

Tatsumi took the chance to charge. Nyau was taken aback by the mention of his old friend, which made the opportunity open. However, in the moment he closed the gap between them, Nyau snapped out of his trance and moved his head aside. Tatsumi had tried to kill him with a piercing sword attack, but he failed. Hence, Nyau kicked him right at the stomach with so much force the teen crashed onto the crates at the side.

Tatsumi winced, but decided to get up. One slight delay may lead to his death by Nyau. However, the blond teen didn't attack him. Instead he just stood still with a small snarl on his face.

"Nice trick you did. By mentioning her so suddenly, I was focused on how you knew her that you almost got me." He said solemnly. "But now that I think about it, I have a feeling I know how. That look in your eyes, that shitty move, and the way you said her name."

Tatsumi snarled in response. Though Nyau hadn't come to a conclusion, Tatsumi didn't like where things were doing. However, it mattered nothing to Nyau as he then smirked and pointed at Tatsumi.

"Ha! She took someone who you cared about, didn't she?!"

"You leave Sayo out of this!"

"Sayo?!" Nyau questioned with a puzzled look. Then a grin came and he laughed. "Idiot! She must've been so gullible to fall into Aria's trap! Aria did have an 'extra treatment' for girls, especially if they had something that she didn't!"

"You bastard!"

Emotions built up, and soon it led to Tatsumi charging at Nyau. He was so into his mood that it was a perfect chance for Nyau. By that, the teen simply dodged Tatsumi's sword swing before then sending a jab of his knee up at the teen's stomach. Then, as Tatsumi became stiff, the blond teen raised his flute and used the side to hit him right at the back of his head.

Tatsumi fell to the ground with a yelp. His body hurt from the attacks, but he'll live. Nyau thought otherwise though. He placed his leg on the teen's head and looked down on his with a teasing smirk.

"Now where was I?" Nyau mischievously said. Tatsumi in response growled at him as he could only look at him. "Aria always got her 'cattle' no matter what. It's just the way she is. She's a chief manipulator, which…is the only thing I admire about her. But I'm getting sidetracked, don't you think?"

Tatsumi let out a furious cry and pushed his head up. Nyau responded by doing a backflip as Tatsumi got back on his feet. From there, he continued.

"Right to the point, I see! Fine, then I'll just do that. No person from the country, young or old has ever survived a visit to Goodricke family's 'special place'! But here you are, without a friend from there. You gave off your origin too soon when you mentioned her. In short, I know for a fact that she killed your friend and would've done the same thing to you. Then Night Raid picked up your sorry ass and brought you to your home! So pathetic!"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth in response. It was one thing to insult him, and another to insult his friend. He could've even charged at Nyau again to shut him up. But his experience from before had thought him well, and so he stood his ground.

"You're right…in some ways. If I had come a day before, I don't think I would be here. But…" Tatsumi paused and got into a sword-fighting stance. His face was now serious. "…I can't change what happened. That is why, I will keep fighting to stop you! I can't change the past or get to Aria yet! But…since she cares so much about you, I'll take you down so she can feel what I felt!"

"Care so much about me?" Nyau asked with a confused look. "What are you -?"

Both teenage boys were stopped. The reason was because of a loud whooshing sound that had got their attention. Thus, when they turned to the fight between Liver and Bulat, they were astonished at the sight.

Liver was standing on the head of a serpent made of water. Right before him, from below, Bulat stood.

"Would you look at that?!" Nyau said with a smirk. "As long as there's plenty of water, there's no way Liver can lose!"

"Heh!" Tatsumi said and smirked. "It's pretty obvious to see that bro would win!"

Both boys clashed again. This time they tried to outmatch the other through strength as their weapon was used to try and push the other.

"You're a damn pest, you know that!" Nyau shouted.

"I can say the same about you!" Tatsumi shot back.

Back at the fight, Liver sent his water-based snake at Bulat.

"You'll be crushed by the pressure of this water! Snake of the Abyss!"

Bulat reacted quickly. With a single jump, he used his spear to cut right through the snake while letting out a battle cry. He finally made to Liver, who was above him, as he began to draw close.

"I figured you would launce yourself headlong at snake." Liver calmly said. "Since if it hit the ship, the number of snakes would skyrocket!"

Then he raised his middle finger, activating yet another skill.

"However, now that you aren't on deck anymore, you can't move! You won't be able to dodge this while in the air!"

Suddenly, huge spears made of water shot up from around the ship. Their single target was Bulat, who could do nothing as he was surrounded by them.

"EVIL DRAGON SPEAR!"

Bulat was hit severely even as he used his arms to shield his chest. If it weren't for his armor, he would've been dead already - but it didn't mean his armor was invincible. Since the pressure of water was great, he cracked the faceplate of his helmet as he was shot higher in the air.

"Just being subjected to a little water won't be enough to extinguish my passion!" Bulat stated strongly.

"Yes." Liver said, landing on the ground. "That isn't enough to defeat you…"

Bulat was then speechless at what he saw. More water rose from the canal, with them being in the form of giant heads of a dragon. Since Bulat was still in the air, he was again surrounded by them as gravity made his descent to the ship.

"…but I already knew that." Liver added. A small smile formed on his face. "We've tread countless battlefields together. Your strength, your valor, I know them better than anyone."

Then he (Liver) raised his finger and pulled his hand, accessing his Teigu's power.

"And it's for this reason that I will let you feast on my greatest ability!"

With that, he shot his hand forward, directing his water-based dragon heads at Bulat's direction.

"JUDGEMENT OF THE HEAVENLY WATER DRAGON!"

Bulat had no chance against them. Their mouths open as they drew close to him. Thus, with a loud cry of pain, Bulat was hit with overwhelming water pressure until his presence in the air disappeared. The water then dispersed, leaving Liver mildly wondering.

"Is he dead?" He questioned.

Suddenly, a loud familiar voice was heard.

"IT ISN'T THE TIME TO BE SPROUTING OUT THOSE WORDS!"

Liver was shocked and quickly looked up. Bulat was coming down on his in a nosedive and his weapon's tip leading the way. He was so close.

"YOU GENERALLY SAT THEM WHEN YOU'VE DEFEATED YOUR ENEMY!" Bulat cried out furiously.

"So you want to drag this out to the end?" Liver questioned.

By this point the man had no chance to escape. Bulat was close, with each second used efficiently by the assassin. However, the assassin suddenly noticed someone coming at him. He had to react quickly if he was to survive.

Fortunately, someone had his back. Nyau had taken to the chance to stop Bulat, when suddenly he was halted by a black whip around his waist. So, before he knew it, he was pulled back from the scene and hitting his butt.

Aria had come just in time. With her whip and a weird technologically advanced eyepiece device on her right eye, she looked to Bulat quickly.

"Now's your chance! Do it!" She shouted.

Aria was right about the moment. With the small distance between Liver and Bulat, he did have the chance. And adding to the fact that Nyau was stopped at the moment, it gave Bulat the perfect chance to eliminate Liver, even as the elderly man then jumped back to evade the cruel fate. But it was too late. With a slash of his spear, Liver was sent flying to the ground as a large gash was now across his chest.

Bulat landed on the ground soon after before his armor vanished into mist. Now he stood with visible physical injuries on his body as his ruffled hair blew accordingly with the wind.

Tatsumi was baffled, but also in some pain. His battle with Nyau hadn't gone so well as he had hoped. Nyau was stronger than him, which was why the teen was able to try and stop Bulat's earlier assualt. Hence, Tatsumi could be see lying on the ground with some injuries on his body as he stared at Bulat with pained regret.

"Dammit…" He cursed angrily. "I'm sorry, bro, I...couldn't keep him away…long enough."

"Don't worry about it, Tatsumi." Bulat said coolly and with a smile. "You still being alive after fighting without a Teigu is proof enough that you've done well"

"Bro!" Tatsumi could only say. He was worried for his comrade, and for a good reason. Bulat was standing firm, but his body had taken some beating despite having worn Incursio.

"Your armor…" Liver suddenly said, but weakly. Bulat, Tatsumi, Aria and Nyau turned over to the wounded man, with the teens' then shocked at what happened next.

Liver rose back to his feet, though he stumbled a few times. The bloody gash on his chest was still there, and clearly covered his clothes in blood. It was still a shock that he could still stand. But Bulat knew better, as he stared as his bloody former mentor as he then spoke.

"You're able to stand even with that much blood loss." He said solemnly. "If it weren't for your small friend intervening at that small moment, I would've gotten you good. I didn't think you would go down that easy."

"'That easy'?" Tatsumi repeated with mild surprise.

Liver cracked a small smile in response. "Huh, but in the end…I won't be able to stand. I wish I could say the same for you. Even inside the armor, you were that injured. It seems…your Teigu released due to all the damage you sustained. If we're to compare our physical state, this is…over for me."

' _Liver!'_ Nyau thought in alarm.

From his position, the odds seemed against them. With Liver badly wounded, it won't be long before the man himself is killed. Thus, Nyau clutched to his Teigu and snarled as he looked back at Aria who didn't seem to notice.

' _It's her fault! If it weren't for her, I would've saved Liver in time!'_ He thought. Then a crooked smirk formed on his face. _'But it doesn't matter now. Their main force is down for the count too. I just need to prepare to use my Trump Card and…this whole thing will be in my victory alone.'_

Back to Bulat and Liver, the two dignified men of valor stood quietly for a moment. Their presence was the only noticeable thing in the environment as everything and everyone else besides the open wind were seemingly nothing.

"Bulat…" Liver called solemnly. "Though I am not in the best condition, I have an offer for you. Would you think about joining Esdeath-sama? If it's you, I know…you can do better than I was and rise to the rank of second-in-command."

Bulat smiled genuinely. "I have no interest in the empire once again."

Liver paused and coughed out blood. His time was ticking, but he still planned to use it to the best he could.

"Not the empire…" He said, reaching his open hand at Bulat. "Think of it as joining Esdeath-sama as I did when she saved me. Doing as you please, being feared by others."

His tone then changed to a serious snarl of anger and hatred. At the same time, he reached out into his coat and held on to something as he continued.

"Yes, even those dirty bureaucrats always spreading their filthy politics, consumed by their own power…! Take my place, Bulat! Esdeath-sama will surely make your crimes disappear as she did with her new follower!"

"I refuse." Bulat stated calmly. He pulled out a comb from his cloth and combed it through his black her. Throughout the moment, he remained unchangeable. "If I had any thought of accepting your offer, it was shot down the moment you mentioned that girl. The new follower you mentioned is Sunny, right? I can't accept to work in the same environment as her. She isn't human...she's a monster of a whole different level."

Liver was silent, but his glare was now offensively at Bulat.

"Besides…" The assassin continued. "Killing politicians may be comfortable for you to do but I've always been an ally of the people, right?"

He stopped and finished his combing. Bulat successfully styled his hair back to the way it previously was, and with that his cool smile was again at Liver.

"Esdeath's army supports the Prime Minister and that is something that I want nothing to do with."

"'Ally of the people' I never thought I would hear an assassin say such thing." Liver said. "I did always tell you to be a little humble."

Another moment of silence took over. Bulat held no regret about his refusal. His stature and his stance on the offer made him look like an inspirational hero before Aria and Tatsumi. So even though he was injured, Tatsumi got back on his feet with an impressed smile on his face.

"Bro…" He muttered.

Liver breathed out and finally revealed the thing in his hand. It was an injection, which he planned to use it. Thus, with a stab of it into his wrist, the man let out a loud groan before tossing the object aside and pulling out his weapon, a sword.

"Forgive me for doping, but you are my opponent, after all." Liver said.

Tatsumi was alarmed. "B-Bro! This guy seems kind of dangerous! Be careful!" He shouted.

"I'm more than prepared to face this formidable opponent!" Bulat responded with confidence. He then pressed a Japanese Kenji on his shoulder-plate, which caused the back plate of his armor to open.

' _However, something doesn't add up…'_ Bulat added in his mind. Steam came out of his back armor before a sword attached to a chain came out and he grabbed it. _'Right now he's seriously injured and yet he wants to fight with a sword? I have my suspicion, but…what he plans to do in actuality is THAT thing he did to Ben.'_

Bulat was ready to fight. He held his sword apart, but ready to duel with his former master Then, with a loud voice, he shouted. "Let's go!"

Both men immediately charged at each other before clashing their swords. Even though Liver was wounded, the man was able to hold his own against Bulat's speed for a while. But then the battle changed to Bulat's favor as the man slashed his sword across Liver's chest, making an X mark with the other gash.

Liver cried out in pain as he was sent back. Being slashed once was bad, but this second one would send him to his grave soon enough. But the man had one last trick up his sleeve, and he used it. He crossed his arms forward and manipulated his released blood to attack Bulat.

"Secret Skill! Blades of Blood!" He shouted.

' _There it is! The Trump Card he used to surprise Ben and kill the former Prime Minister!'_

Bulat was fully ready for this attack. His sword was still in his hand as the blades of blood came for him. So rather than feel taken aback, the assassin used his sword to deflect every single attack that came at him. They were much, but not something he couldn't take on with time. So by the time he was done, the blood attacks were over. Not a single one had made contact with him.

'Bro!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Bulat!" Aria shouted as well.

Both teenagers were concerned for the older man in their group, but it was Tatsumi who went to aid Bulat. Fortunately, the man didn't have a single scratch on him as he smirked a bit at the approaching teen.

"I'm fine, Tatsumi!" Bulat said assuredly. "He used his own lifeblood to attack. His determination is amazing. I would've been struck a few times if I hadn't expected him to pull it off as a last resort. Ben mentioned blood manipulation a while ago, so I figured he would try it again, the moment I saw his blood splash."

' _Amazing.'_ Aria thought with awe. _'His speed…his strength…and the ability to think so fast can't be ignored. Even while injured did all that while staying his ground. Ben really is helping us, even if he isn't here.'_

"Bulat…" Liver called out. He was weak and dying, as he lay on the ground and his blood spilled all over the floor, creating a pool. "There is…one more thing I want to tell you…the reason I decided to join her army."

Following that, the dying man began to tell his story. He explained what happened to him when he was imprisoned and how Esdeath had come to save him, giving him a second chance in life.

"…In that moment, I adored her…it was only for that reason…" Liver's intention was then revealed with a wide grin on his face. Though he couldn't sit up anymore, he pointed above Bulat and said. "Therefore, as one who exists solely to serve Esdeath-sama, I will be giving her your life!"

Bulat's eyes widened in shock before he then looked up with that expression. Liver's intention became clear in the form of raining blades of blood. Bulat and Tatsumi were below it, meaning if none of them moved out of the way they would be killed.

"Tatsumi, move!" Bulat shouted and shoved the teen out of the way.

"BRO! NO!"

Tatsumi hit the ground before witnessing a horrifying scene. Bulat was rained down by the blades of blood, even as he kept his arms above his head as protection. They sunk into his skin as each shot felt like they were actual blades. Nothing could stop them, nor did Bulat's scream end until the shower came to an end.

It was then in that moment that Bulat could no longer stand. His body was badly injured and in a worse condition than before. As a result, he fell to his arms and knees, attracting Tatsumi to run to his aid.

"BRO!" Tatsumi cried out in horror.

"Bulat!" Aria shouted.

Nyau smirked; now was the time to get out. He removed the whip around his body and quickly got back to his feet. Then, before Aria knew it, he pulled on the whip and caused her to come to his direction alone, before kicking her right at the chest. The kick was strong enough to send her flying to the deck's railing, but he wasn't done with her yet.

Meanwhile, there was the horrible scene with Bulat. Tatsumi was able to help Bulat back to his feet by placing the muscular man's shoulder over him. Sadly, that didn't ease the moment, as Bulat suddenly vomited blood

"Bro!" Tatsumi shouted in shock.

"That springe…" Bulat said, his tone weakening. He looked to his dying former mentor. "It wasn't just a strengthening serum, was it? There was also a deadly poison mixed in…! You…knew I would be able to defend myself against your attacks, so you directed some of the deflected blood to the air and let gravity take care of the rest."

"That is correct…" Liver admitted and chuckled weakly. "I…I was not aware that the Tennyson boy was on your side, but…then again I was fighting you. There is no antidote. The poison…is already flowing through your body…There is no escape."

With that said, Liver reached his utmost limit. His body systems finally failed before he slowly closed his eyes with a few final words.

"I'll be…going on ahead…"

And with that, the man died.

"As expected of my former boss, I guess it's a tie then, huh…!" Bulat said with a weak smile. He almost regretted that, as the poison caused him to vomit blood again.

Tatsumi was quickly alarmed as he looked at his comrade.

"We need to get you some medical attention!" He stated.

Just then, the both of them heard Aria screaming. It had come to them suddenly, before they turned to the direction of where the girl was. Aria was being forced over the railing, with just her lower body remaining. Nyau was the cause of it, as he had bruised the blonde girl while clutching her neck as he prepared to push her away.

"Nyau…don't…please…" Aria begged with tears in her eyes. "I'm here to help you."

"Hmph! Screw your 'help', Aria!" Nyau stated with a small grin. "All those years you treated me like some dog! I didn't know it then until my parents were suddenly assassinated by some of the Prime Minister's goons! To be honest, I don't care about their life now, but I do care about how I'll end your pitiful life! Do you remember what you told me back then, Aria?! The day I lost everything?! I do, for every word. 'Get out of my sight, you filthy dog' is what you said! Now look how much the tables have turned!"

Aria couldn't say much, as the grip on her neck just worsened. Nyau was ruthless despite his size, and it was clear he was going to kill Aria. The blonde needed help, so she looked over to Tatsumi and Bulat, as the two of them were facing them. This caused Nyau to look back and toss Aria's body to the ground hard as a result.

"I almost forgot about you two!" He said in annoyance. Then a smirk formed on his face as he brought his flute to his lips. "With Liver having dealt the final blow on you, I can take care of the rest. For Esdeath-sama I must carry out my duty to exterminate you two."

His pupils then flashed pink. It happened so sudden, and was something that caught both Bulat and Tatsumi's attention. But if that wasn't enough, the blonde teen began to radiate a pink aura all over his body as he began to play his flute.

' _Secret Skill: Call of the fierce god!'_ Nyau called out.

The teen's body then began to increase in size and change. At first, his transformation was only into a muscular adult version of himself. But then suddenly his skin color changed into dark blue as his body grew actual devilish horns, a tail and ears. The transformation was then complete when his clothes into black pants, a purple long-sleeve shirt and a reddish long cape.

Tatsumi, Bulat and Aria were shocked simultaneously.

"No way!" Aria shouted.

"How did he do that?!" Tatsumi questioned to no one.

Bulat gritted his teeth and clicked it with his tongue. Something was very off about Nyau, and he didn't like it. It was a good thing then that he pinpointed what it was when he realized Nyau's pink pupils.

"Those pink eyes, there's only one person I've seen have that." Bulat said, analyzing the situation. "Ben Tennyson's cousin, Sunny, must be behind the sudden transformation."

Tatsumi almost gasped at the revelation. Nyau didn't seem unfazed by it though, as he inspected his new body.

"I guess this explains the kiss she gave me. That girl…just what can she do, I wonder. But then again with this new body, I can feel so much unimaginable power flowing right through me. It's…beyond anything I could even imagine."

Nyau then grinned with malicious intent. With this new power, he could do what he wanted with ease. Bulat and Tatsumi were the only ones to stand in his way. But soon they won't matter. With the new power he had gained, the grown teenager took one step forward and caused a small but powerful shockwave through the ship.

Tatsumi, Bulat and Aria screamed and tried to stay still. Nyau's new found powers were beyond the capabilities of any human in their world. So as much as they tried, they all fell to the ground and Nyau laughed openly.

Tatsumi had a look of terror on his face as he stared at the grown teen.

' _With just his foot he caused a shockwave?! Can we even beat this guy?!'_

Tatsumi's mind then had flashes of the night he first encountered Sunny. He could remember very well on how the girl was able to easily deal with him and Akame, and even their reinforcements (Leone and Bulat). Her power back then was beyond any power level he had witnessed; if it hadn't been then they wouldn't have made it back alive.

"I guess we have no choice then." Tatsumi said to himself. Then he looked over to Aria with urgency. "Aria, call Ben now! We need his help!"

"R-Right!" Aria replied and quickly pulled out the Plumber Communicator.

Just then, the girl was sent away by a powerful breeze. She let out a scream when it happened, before being flung into the water below and silent. Nyau reached back his fist and grinned as he looked at it.

"Just with a punch, I swept that runt with the wind." Then he turned to Bulat and Tatsumi. "Such a shame, really. With this new body, I can already picture the many paybacks I could give her. You two are now the only ones left and there's no one coming to save you both."

Tatsumi was now stricken in fear. He didn't care about Aria, but he knew without her Ben won't know about their predicament. However, he was still able to gather some form of courage and stand on his feet with his sword, even as Bulat now lay on the floor.

' _This is very bad…I was beaten back_ _earlier!'_ Tatsumi thought. _'_ _But now, how can I do anything against him now?! I'm just some feet away and already I feel sick from the power oozing from him! I…I can't beat him alone! Just like that time with Sunny, I…I can't do it without Ben!'_

Nyau was amused. _'He's trying to act tough, but I can see right through his shaky eyes. He's scared shitless, but let's have some fun with him first.'_

With that said, the demonic Nyau stretched his hand out and released a powerful dark aura. No one was left exempted, not even the unconscious guests on the floor or those at other parts of the ship. Even the sun was blocked out from view as Nyau's power expanded and seemingly consumed everything in its darkness. But if that wasn't enough, Bulat was suddenly swept away from Tatsumi, much to the teen's horror, and swallowed by the darkness.

"Bro! Bro! Where are you?!" Tatsumi shouted out. He was losing his courage fast, as fear began to take a hold of him.

Nyau's voice was then heard laughing in the dark environment. He was very amused by Tatsumi's fear as he could see the boy looking around himself for him. However, he didn't do anything but watched as Tatsumi just kept looking for him.

"I-I know you're there! Come out and face me!" He shouted.

"Fine, you asked for it! HAHAHA!"

Nyau suddenly came out of the darkness in front of Tatsumi, and with his hand out. His face, approach and closeness was enough to scare Tatsumi, but none of it seemed to matter anymore. Tatsumi was frozen in fear that he couldn't move a muscle. So the only thing he could do was fidget his body and close his eyes, expecting the worse.

The next time Tatsumi was able to open his eyes, he noticed something very different about his surroundings. For one, he was no longer on the Rysuusen or any place with water. In fact, the more he looked around with confused utter, the longer he began to realize a few things about his surroundings.

He was definitely not in his own world. The buildings were big and looked like they could reach to the sky while the street underneath his feet seemed to paved to be from the Capital. Then there were the strange four-wheel vehicles that were parked at the sides of the road, the pedestrian walkways and more as they continued to look around.

 _'Odd...This place looks like civilization and yet...there aren't any people.'_ He thought.

Just then, his body felt something strange. He couldn't describe it, as it was kind of a tingling feeling and yet not at the same time. Tatsumi didn't want to trust it, but he did when he realized it was coming from a specific direction. Thus, he went with the feeling and walked with the quiet streets until he came to what seemed to be a park.

"Looks like a part. Just why did I feel like I should come here?" He wondered.

"Hey, over here!" shouted a female voice.

Tatsumi recognized that voice; it sounded like Mine. But it was impossible, considering where he was. Mine was back in Night Raid's hideout, healing from her battle with Seryu and her Teigu. So then, why is it that when he turned to the direction of the voice, he saw from the distance of Mine, holding two matching ice creams in her hand.

"Mine?" Tatsumi muttered and then shook his head. "No, it's not Mine. But...this feeling that drew me here, I can feel it."

With that, his decision was made. Nothing made sense to him, but he had a feeling it begin to once he met with the Mine lookalike. So he went to the person and stood before her.

"Here." She said. "You must be feeling it after that long fight."

"Uh...yeah." Tatsumi said took the ice cream and then looked at the Mine lookalike with a confused look. "You're not Mine, are you? Just...who are you?"

The girl smiled. "It's been a while, Tatsumi. I thought this form would ease you a bit since I kind of scared you and your friends the last time."

"Last time?" Tatsumi questioned, confused.

The girl hummed playfully and then stood up. Then she stared at Tatsumi sweetly and said.

"I am Verdona, the grandmother of Ben and Sunny. Welcome to my pocket dimension of Ben's hometown, Bellwood."

* * *

 **SURPRISE! You guys must have thought this would've led to the same showdown between Tatsumi and Nyau like in the manga! Wrong! I have better plans than that, and it will involve Verdona.**

 **So about Verdona, she previously appeared in chapter 17, after Ben and Sunny fought. I never thought about bringing her back, but then I got new ideas and decided she should return again. The next chapter will contain her reason for suddenly showing up and speaking with Tatsumi. Will Ben be in the next chapter? I won't say. You're just going to have to wait and read the next chapter.**

 **On another note, the relation between Aria and Nyau are from me. The show/manga never stated that the two knew each other.**

 **So this is where I'm going to stop for now. If you enjoyed this chapter then please review about it, and if you haven't favorite or followed this fanfiction, then please do so.**

 **Until the next chapter, have a lovely day/night!**


	33. Passing down the mantle

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I know I'm very late to update this, but hey it's better late than never! I had a lot of things to do, added to that excuse is the fact that I had some writer's block the direction this story should go! Fortunately, I've gotten that over with.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!**

Now on to the chapter! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 33: Passing down the mantle**

Tatsumi felt mentally unprepared for what he just heard. This girl who looked exactly like his comrade, Mine, was actually Ben's grandmother and they were in some place called a pocket dimension. He didn't even know how else to react except stare at 'Mine' and stutter.

"W-What?!"

'Mine' giggled sweetly and stood up. She then did a twirl and faced back at Tatsumi with her hands on her hips. "I guess I can't get into your friend's rude attitude. I hope you don't mind." She said.

"Uh…okay." Tatsumi muttered. He was trying to mentally comprehend what was going on. "I'm sorry, but are you really Ben's grandmother?"

"Why, yes." Verdona confirmed with a smile. The fact that she did it with a body that looked like Mine made Tatsumi's heart to skip a beat. She looked so cute as Mine to Tatsumi, but he didn't say. Verdona continued. "You see, Tatsumi, I decided to try out a different approach to our meeting since the last time I scared most of your friends."

"So…that is why you looked like Mine?" Tatsumi asked. He received a nod from the powerful grandmother in front of him. "But why? I mean…not that it's bad, but…you could've used someone like Akame, Sheele, Lubbock or bro."

His eyes then suddenly widened. His mind flashed back to the incident that happened just a while ago. From the battle between the Three Beasts Warrior, down to the overwhelming power from the sudden transformation by Nyau. It wasn't like he forgot; rather, it was that he was reminded of what happened.

"Oh no! Bro!" Tatsumi shouted and rushed to his feet. "He's out there, back at the Ryuseen!" He looked back at Verdona. "Please, you have to save him and stop Nyau!"

"Tatsumi…" Verdona frowned. She made a turn and gestured him to come. "Follow me. Let's talk."

"What?! We don't have time for that!" Tatsumi yelled. He became angry, as obvious by his eyes which glared at Verdona. "Bro is seriously hurt out there! If I don't hurry then he'd die! I'm not going to let him die!"

"Fine." Verdona replied calmly. "You may go and find your way out. Good luck with that."

Tatsumi wanted to yell. This woman disguised as Mine didn't seem to understand the severity of the situation in his world. Her attitude almost reminded him of the real girl, minus the obliviousness this woman was pulling on him.

It didn't matter; the teen ran off to find a way back. He couldn't find it within himself to keep arguing with the oblivious woman. The young man ran out of the park and went through the street, looking for a way to get back to his world. He looked right and left, back and front and up and down for a sign of a door that would lead him back. But he couldn't; this world was so strange to him.

' _What's with this place? Why does everything look so weird and different from my place? Is this where Ben's grandmother comes from? She called it Bellwood.'_

"Are you done now?"

"Huh?"

Tatsumi came to a stop and looked to his right side, behind him. The voice he heard sounded familiar; he decided to turn to see who it was. Najenda was sitting on top of the 'weird' vehicle he kept seeing when he ran pass. She was smoking like the real person until she stopped and pulled the cigarette from her lips and looked at it.

"Huh, this doesn't make me feel anything. I wonder if I'm doing this wrong." She pondered.

"You're Verdona!" Tatsumi shouted. He then snarled at the woman. "Get out of my head! Turning into people I know won't change my mind! I have to get back! Get me back home!"

Verdona paused and threw the cigarette away. She looked at Tatsumi with a small stare and crossed her leg over the other one like the real leader of Night Raid. Added to this, she leaned forward and rested her arms on her leg.

"You can't get out unless I allow it. Do you even know what a pocket dimension is?"

"I…don't." Tatsumi answered reluctantly. The glare from the woman was intimidating like the real Najenda.

"I thought so." Verdona muttered. She jumped down from the car and landed on her feet. "Think of your body as a dimension or universe. When you are naked you stand alone, but…when you put on clothes you have these pockets added like you do now. That is how a pocket dimension is like. Right now it's fitted with your universe. I recreated this space to look exactly like Ben's hometown. It is endless and there is no escape unless I say or think otherwise."

Tatsumi felt a short shudder. The thought that he was in a whole world made by Verdona terrified him. It reminded him at the time he and his friends had first met Verdona. With the power he had seen back then and now, the woman could take on the empire and level it to the ground in seconds.

"So…I'm stuck here." Tatsumi said with a frown. The dark reality caused him to lose hope to getting back home.

"That depends on…" Verdona paused and pointed up. "If you can beat that."

"Huh?"

Tatsumi looked up and just in time. He saw a meteor coming down in a ball of fire. It hit the ground some distance away, and made a loud impact sound. Tatsumi didn't know what Verdona had in store for him until she spoke again.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go!" Verdona commanded.

Tatsumi did as told and ran straight for the crash site. He could see smoking rising into the air from the area before determining the distance between him and the place. It wasn't long before he arrived at the place and saw fire consuming the area where the crash happened. He was prepared to continue when he saw a silhouette in the smoke and emerging.

Tatsumi was uncertain. He stood his ground still and waited for the mysterious being to reveal itself. The thing had an incompatible build at first, making him curious to stare. Then it revealed itself and made Tatsumi to gasp at it.

"What the hell is that?" Tatsumi asked.

" **Who am I, you ask?"** The mysterious being asked. He came to a stop and spread his arms apart in proclamation. **"I AM ULTIMATE AGGREGOR!"**

"Ultimate…Aggregor?" Tatsumi asked with a confused look.

"You heard him right." Answered another familiar voice.

This voice surprised Tatsumi. The last time he heard someone with that voice was long ago. She was dead now; however, the fact that he could hear it outside his heard caused him to look to his right. Sayo, Tatsumi's long and dead friend, was sitting on a streetlight.

Tatsumi was baffled. He knew she was Verdona, but the fact he could see the body of his friend swinging her feet back and front was a complete shock. Verdona might have known this; however, she didn't bring it up.

"What are you staring at me for, Tatsumi? Beat him if you truly want to get back home." She said.

Tatsumi hesitated to speak back. He looked back at Ultimate Aggregor and was mentally taken aback by his figure again. The alien was about nine foot tall and was composed of amalgamated alien parts that he knew certainly couldn't have belonged to him. None of that mattered though; the teen had to fight. He wasn't certain about it until he felt his hand grasp the hilt of a sword.

Tatsumi was a little surprised. The sword of Incursio was in his hand.

' _Incursio? That's right, if I transform into the armor I could have a better chance of beating this guy. But…'_ Tatsumi paused. _'Do I truly have the power to beat such a foe?'_

Tatsumi couldn't be certain. He was suddenly hit by a blast of wind and sent tumbling away on the hard street. When he came to a stop, he groaned and painfully got back on his feet. The pain from the attack was very effective on him. However, the teen didn't have much time to react. He noticed a growing shadow on him before looking up to see Ultimate Aggregor coming down for him.

The young man made a jump back from the scene. With the distance he made, it should be enough to prepare for the alien's next move. Sadly, his intuition was wrong because when the alien reached the ground, he punched the street and caused a shockwave that sent just about anything close by flying; that meant Tatsumi as well.

Tatsumi wasn't certain about his survival. Barely a minute into the fight and already he was losing. He was lucky to not get hit by any of the flying rocks caused by Aggregor's punch when he hit the ground on his stomach. He forced himself back to his feet and held his chest.

' _Just what is that guy? It's like I'm fighting Ben himself.'_ Tatsumi thought frustratingly.

" **Well you might not be too far from that."**

Ultimate Aggregor was behind Tatsumi. The young man was surprised about it, but also reactive. He saw this as his chance to attack and swung Incursio's sword at the ultimate alien.

He failed, sadly. Ultimate Aggregor easily caught him by the arm before backhanding him with his free hand. The hit was strong enough to send Tatsumi flying a few feet away, but not out of the ultimate alien's reach. Ultimate Aggregor shot a beam at the teen and hit him at the chest. Tatsumi cried out in pain and was sent further away.

' _It's…It's impossible.'_ Tatsumi thought in shock. _'I-I can't beat –'_

Ultimate Aggregor cut him off by a water blast from his palm. They hit Tatsumi before he could hit the ground and knocked him against a rock close by. The rock was just one of several debris caused by the shockwave by the ultimate alien.

' _It's over…I've lost.'_ Tatsumi bowed his head in defeat.

Ultimate Aggregor grinned in response. He could read the teen's mind as clear as day. His intention was unknown; he saw that as a chance to walk casually at the teen. He was then about to blast the teen again with his beams when someone landed in front of the young man.

"Tatsumi! Tatsumi, stand up!"

"Huh…?" Tatsumi groaned weakly. He pried his eyes opened to look at who called him. A smile formed on his face. "Bro, you're alive."

"Now's not the time, Tatsumi! Use Incursio and fight back!" Bulat stated with a strict look.

"I can't…" Tatsumi said weakly. He then raised his hand with Incuriso's sword to Bulat. "You…You can take him down. I know you can."

Bulat sighed and looked down at Tatsumi. The young man didn't know what was about to happen. But then again even if he did, the older man surprised him when he grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him off the ground and suddenly knocked his forehead against him.

"OWW!" Tatsumi cried out. He became angry. "Why did you do that –"

"DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN YOUR OPPONENT'S PACE, YOU DUMBASS!" Bulat interjected. He surprised Tatsumi with the outburst before letting go of him to fall on his butt. He then continued with conviction. "Think of your training and the experiences you've been through! If you use those, then you are more than qualified to use Incursio, Tatsumi!"

Ultimate Aggregor was intrigued. **"Interesting."** He commented. **"This…weapon he yields must be of great power if the both of you are putting his life on the line. But do you believe a weakling like him is worthy of a powerful item?"**

Bulat turned back to face him. "The compatibility is mostly about the first impression and how he sees the Teigu…roughly, anyway. If it's him, it'll be alright."

Tatsumi became flabbergasted. The inspirational words by his comrade/mentor was very impacting. It made the teen to realize something even through the pain and get up. Incursio was still in his possession; with it he got into a stance which basically had his feet apart from each other, his right hand's palm on the top hilt of the weapon and his other hand grabbing the rest of the hilt.

"If someone I respect says all that, I have to live up to his expectations…as a man!" He said determinedly.

 **"This is ridiculous."** Ultimate Aggregor commented. **"I will do you both a favor. I will destroy him and claim that weapon for myself. I have no doubt that I can bring out its true potential. Right here…right now!"**

Ultimate Aggregor speed off to Tatsumi again. The speed he took was almost blinding with flight However, the action by the ultimate alien only strengthened both men as they saw him coming.

"LET YOUR SOUL RAGE AND ROAR, TATSUMI!" Bulat cried out furiously.

Tatsumi did as he was told and struck Incursio into the ground. His willpower reached its peak when he let out a loud battle cry and summoned the power of the great Teigu. Its summoning was so powerful that a shockwave went to everywhere and created a wind that pushed Ultimate Aggregor back.

 **"What…is this?"** Ultimate Aggregor asked with his eyes widened. **"This kind of power…just from that sword alone?"**

A humanoid and muscular beast formed as the Incursio armor rose from behind Tatsumi and opened its mouth. The roar it then released was incredibly powerful, as even Ultimate Aggregor had to put up some strength so he doesn't get blown away literally. Bulat was shocked by the power as he watched Incursio take in Tatsumi.

' _The armor is…changing itself to suit Tatsumi's movements!'_ He thought. _'Tatsumi, I see...your feelings have made Incursio evolve once again…'_

The transformation was complete. Tatsumi no longer stood as himself; rather, the teen stood in the Incursio armor which suited his body frame. The sword wasn't in his hands anymore.

"Esdeath's group has used Night Raid's name to commit fake assassinations again and again…! In order to end them once and for all, I will defeat you and get back home!"

 **"Don't get too full of yourself!"** Ultimate Aggregor said with a menacing look. **"I've accomplished far more than you can ever imagine! I've even beaten Ben Tennyson on numerous occasions! A child like you will be nothing but another pebble in my way! But since you want to die so much…"** He paused and glowed his eyes. **"I'll grant you a swift and painful death!"**

"This armor…" Tatsumi said and looked at his hand. "forcefully increases my strength." He then paused and pointed at Ultimate Aggregor. "…so I know that I will defeat you."

Ultimate Aggregor took it as an insult. Someone like Tatsumi was not a person that could defeat him so easily. Hence, the ultimate alien shot his red beams at the armored teen, wanting nothing more than to waste him right there.

Tatsumi thought otherwise. With a concentrated power to his feet, he jumped straight at Ultimate Aggregor's beams and went through them. Aggregor was taken aback by it, but increased the volume of his beam to cover Tatsumi. His beams weren't just any other form of energy, they were nuclear energy.

" **THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, BOY!"**

"I think not!" Tatsumi exclaimed. He suddenly reached Ultimate Aggregor and punched him right in the face. The punch was so strong that it shut off the guy's beams. "Goodbye, Ultimate Aggregor!"

That alone was enough to almost end the battle. Aggregor overestimated Tatsumi and paid the price when the armored teen punched him straight at a building. The impact was especially powerful, as it caused the entire complex to come down on the ultimate alien. At last, the battle was over.

"He won." Bulat smiled.

Tatsumi transformed back to his normal self. He turned back to Bulat and ran to him with his arms out and holding on to Incursio.

"Bro, did you see that?! I did it! I –"

The young man was obstructed by an invisible wall. He didn't know it until his face hit it and he stepped back. Tatsumi was confused until Verdona still disguised as Sayo flew down to his side.

"Congratulations, Tatsumi! You did it!" She said happily. "Now do you understand? It does not matter how powerful your enemy may be, have faith in those around you and yourself! Even when the times are dark and scary, you should not fall into despair! But you have one more battle to win!" She paused and looked to Bulat. "Is that not right, Bulat?"

Bulat nodded with a smile. He then went over to Tatsumi and placed his hand on the teen's head. The look on his face was like a proud father looking down on his accomplished son.

"You were amazing, Tatsumi." He said. "If you have that much power now, you'll certainly surpass me in no time. Run past me from out of nowhere. I know you'll be able to do greater things, Tatsumi."

"Bro?" Tatsumi was confused. Something about Bulat's words made him feel sorrow as he looked at him with pleading eyes. "You are coming back, right? Please…tell me you're coming with me."

"It would seem this is where we say our goodbyes." Bulat replied with a genuine smile.

"No…" Tatsumi muttered. He tried to reach his hand to grab his mentor, but the invisible wall obstructed him. Bulat pulled his own arm away so the teen wouldn't grab it. "Wait! Why are you leaving, bro! Come on! You're still alive, right?! Right?!"

As a last ditch effort, Tatsumi looked to Verdona. "Do something please! I can't leave him!"

Verdona frowned. "I am not the god of death."

Tatsumi's heart felt like it sank. Verdona's facial expression and words were clear and it scared him deeply. He couldn't even utter a word, but he did look over to Bulat who just continued to smile.

"Take good care of yourself, Tatsumi." He said. "Let everyone in Night Raid my gratitude to them has never changed."

The teenager was lost for words. The memories with this man he knew were flooding through his mind. To think that they would just be memories was painful to even consider. Tatsumi was almost in tears if not for the encouraging smirk that Bulat gave him.

"R-Right!" Tatsumi stuttered and nodded. His confidence and determination became bright in an instant. "Please watch over me, bro! I'm going to win this for you and everyone in Night Raid!"

"I believe you will. Stay strong, Tatsumi."

Their moment together came to an end. Tatsumi was washed over by a pink flash of light before he was whisked away back to his world. His absence left Verdona and Bulat by themselves before the woman shape-shift into a perfect image of Liver.

"Sad endings like that remind me of how special humans are." Verdona said with a genuine smile. She looked up to the sky with her chin up. "Due to the power we wield, most Anodites see other powerless beings as nothing special. That is why I will always be grateful to Ben's grandfather, Max Tennyson. But you know, I could revive you right now if you just allow me to. The connection with your body may be weak, but I could –"

"No, this is fine." Bulat interjected. The older man had a satisfied grin on his face. "My time draws near anyway. I have nothing else to do. Like a mentor, I have to trust that Tatsumi to do the right thing even though I won't be able to see it. I guess you could say...this is a fine ending."

"Tragic ending, you mean." Verdona commented as a whisper. An idea then popped into her head before she turned to the man. "Before you go, isn't there something you wished that you could have? There's no shame to be selfish now, Bulat."

"Huh, I never really thought of that." Bulat muttered with his hand on his chin. The spiritual connection with his body was ceasing. "I guess I would like it if I could to start over."

His time was up and his surroundings became nothing but white. His chapter had begun and come to an end. But not the whole book, for another page was just opened to the former wielder of Incursio.

* * *

Ripjaws jumped out of the waters and landed onboard the Ryuusen. In his hands was an unconscious Aria, whom he then put on the ground. He then slapped the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest and changed back to normal. His main concern was Aria. He began pushing on her stomach to get the water out body.

"Come on! Come on! I really should've listened to Rook when he mentioned learning this kind of stuff!" He shouted frantically.

Aria responded successfully. She coughed out water and began to regain her consciousness. She then looked at Ben tiredly with weak eyes.

"Ben, is that you?" She asked. She then smiled when her vision cleared. "It's you…I was able to make the call on time."

"Yeah, you did." Ben smiled back. "I had to leave the Time Cycle in the sea just to get to you. Luckily, it can survive on its own there. Now come on, let's get you back on your feet and –"

The air suddenly thickened. It cut Ben's words off and he began to choke a little. Aria could feel the pollution and knew it wasn't like any regular one. The one responsible revealed himself when he stood some meters away from the two.

"Ben Tennyson, you actually made it." Nyau said with a monotone voice. "I was hoping to get out of here and report back to Esdeath-sama, but it would appear I thought too soon. Ten seconds was all it took you to come here after I finished those other Night Raid scums."

"Night Raid…scums?" Ben paused with a confused look. Though the air was slowly becoming misty black, the teen looked around and was shocked. Bulat lay on the ground with his own blood bathing him. "No way…Bulat?"

"So you know him." Nyau said calmly. "It does confirm your connection with them. Esdeath-sama will have to hear of this, but not before I finish you –"

"Where's Tatsumi?!" Ben interjected angrily. The look in his eyes was only for Nyau, who didn't seem fazed by it. "Tell me where he is?!"

"You mean the lad?" Nyau said slyly. His grinned with his teeth showing. "I killed him too. You should've seen his face. The look of fear in his eyes, the way I tore him and that big oaf from each other, and the way he knew it was all over for him. Don't worry, I'll make sure you reunite with him. Aria will be coming with me as my new plaything."

"You…" Ben muttered and stood up. The pace of his breathing became fast and hard as his glare sharpened into something of rage. During that time, memories of the young teen flashed through his mind until he slammed down on the Ultimatrix core.

The transformation was quick and painless. It should've felt like the usual, except it didn't. Ben's transformation led him to stand as Feedback, who harbored much power and the rage to back it up.

" **I MADE A PROMISE TO WATCH OVER HIM! NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!"**

"Then come at –"

Nyau was cut off when something hit the ground between him and Feedback. The power it wield and the aura coming from it was enough to push away his misty black air away. Feedback was confused about it with the same for Nyau and Aria. All three of them watched as the dust screen around it shifted and revealed who it was.

"Let me handle this, Ben…" said a somewhat familiar voice.

"Tatsumi?" Feedback was surprised.

Ben Tennyson was right; the person was Tatsumi, however the person he stood as was entirely new to the teen hero. Ben was familiar with Incursio, having fought Bulat in a fight before. He should've then recognized the armor as the one Tatsumi was wearing. But he couldn't because of its new design.

Tatsumi had dawned Incursio in its strongest evolved form. Incursio was gold in color and manifested huge wings on its back. The armor had tints of red on its elbow, horn-like helmet and legs. Along with it, his armor was bulkier than it should be while its body glowed a bright light.

Feedback could sense the energy from the armor. As a Conductoid, his ability to sense almost any form of energy was a natural skill. He knew what power Incursio had and was even surprised by it.

"That energy…it's mana." He said instinctively.

Nyau wasn't so impressed. With his purple cape blissfully moving to the air of the open sea, he crossed his arm around his shoulder.

"So you actually survived." Nyau said with a small frown. "It does not matter. I'll get rid of your presence and Tennyson. Esdeath-sama will be pleased once you scums are gone."

Feedback gritted in teeth. He disliked the maliciousness of Nyau and became prepared to fight. He looked to Tatsumi from behind.

"Let's take this chump together, Tatsumi."

"No, I'll handle this." Tatsumi rejected. He tilted his head at Feedback, thus showing the armor's pink glowing eyes. "This is Night Raid's affair." He then faced Nyau again. "You and the rest of your comrades have misused Night Raid's name for your own ambitions. For that, I will reward you by ending your existence here."

Nyau cracked a grin. "Ending my existence?" His eyes suddenly flashed red. Before another word could be said, he jumped straight for Tatsumi. "Tell that kind of shit to your dead friend in hell!"

Tatsumi leapt for him. The distance between the two of them immediately closed with a loud boom. Both enemies had collided with their fist, which in turn created a powerful shockwave. A blast of air also went around the top deck, pushing anything close by.

Feedback was taken aback. The blast of wind pushed him and Aria back. Feedback had to land on his feet and use his tail to grab the blonde girl to save both of them.

" **That was pretty intense!"** Feedback said.

"Ben!" Aria shouted. From her position, she pointed at the unconscious civilians about to be flung off the ship.

Feedback responded by slapping his hand on the Ultimatrix symbol. When the usual green flash die down, the alien hero stood as Gravattack, which he then used to hold the civilians in a gravitational hold in the air.

" **Tatsumi, take it easy, will ya?! You almost blew these people away!"** Gravattack exclaimed.

"Not my fault!" Tatsumi replied. Part of his focus was on Nyau while the other was slightly on Ben. "There's no holding back in this! Get those people out of here!"

"No one is leaving!" Nyau shouted.

His fist came straight for Tatsumi again. The armored teen responded by colliding it with his own fist. Like before, there was a blast of wind that went about everywhere, except it felt stronger. Gravattack felt some strain as he continued to keep his hold on the people.

" **Can't…hold on much longer! I have to get them out of here!"**

"Then go!" Aria shouted. She was on her knees, trying to maintain her posture. Her position wasn't easy, especially when Nyau and Tatsumi kept colliding their fists and increasing their speed.

Before anyone knew it, the whole deck felt like it was experiencing a hurricane. Wind and shockwave went about, destroying anything in its way and pushing those that tried to withstand it. Tatsumi and Nyau were powerful in their own way and Ben could see that. However, Aria was something else to deal with.

" **What about you?! I can take you with me!"**

"I still have a commitment to this!" Aria said in rejection. "Please, Ben! Let me do this!"

If it weren't so the strain, Gravattack would've slapped his own face. **"Fine! But get to the cargo hold of the ship and don't come out until I've come back! Got it?!"**

"Yes, I…AHHHH!"

Aria was flung into an open door, pass open hall close to the deck, and into some inner part of the building.

" **That was easy."** Gravattack said. He soon let out a groan as he fought back against the harsh wind. **"I just hope Aria is somewhere safe! I have to make this quick! Time to go Ultimate!"**

Gravattack slapped the Ultimatrix symbol. The device made the usual spikes to reveal themselves and wash a green ray of light all over his body. Gravattack's transformation then became complete and he stood as a form almost similar to his own. He had a round head with longer rocky spikes almost all over it. The same was for his arms as he lacked the rest of his body. His color scheme still remained the same and his eyes were green, though his mouth lacked teeth, instead becoming green and black swirly energy.

His new transformation gave him another bonus. Ultimate Gravattack had his own orbit, meaning he also had smaller figures floating around him. These figures resembled him without the other parts of the body.

" **ULTIMATE GRAVATTACK!"**

With his new transformation came new possibilities. Ultimate Gravattack stared at his arms and felt satisfied with it. He then pushed his arms forward and caught everything within the deck in his orbit. That mean for Tatsumi and Nyau, as the both of them were lifted off the ground before they were then sent flying out off the ship

" **That worked better than I thought."** Ultimate Gravattack said to himself. **"I was planning to take the people away, but this worked better. I guess Ultimate Gravattack is a little bit complicated than how Albedo showed it."**

Ultimate Gravattack then changed back to his devolved form. The devolved form's Ultimatrix symbol flashed a few times and changed the teen back to normal Ben took a moment to look around and then looked forward at the sea. The soft wind pushed lightly on him as he thought about his friend.

"It's all up to you now, Tatsumi."

"I hear you, Ben!" Tatsumi said. Though his voice couldn't reach back at the hero, he understood him well.

"Fool! You both won't escape this!" Nyau stated back.

Their momentum came to a halt when both of them began to run on top of the water. Their speed was incredible and Tatsumi was leading the way while Nyau began to catch up.

"Try as he can, I will deal with you and him soon enough!" Nyau said. His body was glowing stronger mana energy as his mad grin improved. "I will finish you where you stand and receive praise from Esdeath-sama! Between you and me, power is all that matters and I am no doubt more stronger than you copycat!"

"I'm no copycat!" Tatsumi said boldly. "Unlike you, this power was gifted to me by those who seek nothing but the good of all! That is why…" He suddenly came to a stop and turned to face him standing. "I WILL AVENGE BULAT BY BEATING YOU!"

Nyau was suddenly overwhelmed. Tatsumi's outburst caused an invisible attack to him the member of the Three Beast. Nyau was sent back until he did a back flip and landed on his arms and legs on the sea's surface and opened his mouth.

"DEMON KING SKILL: FLAMING NEGATIVE ROAR!"

Nyau unleashed a huge blast of purple flames. Tatsumi had seconds to avoid and flew right above it. Nyau's attack caused an intense trail of mist from where Tatsumi once stood. The teen then flew down to get the evildoer.

Nyau was unamused. "Don't think this is over, you runt!" He shouted and raised his open hands. Magical circle then appeared a few feet above him and he laughed a little. "DEMON KING SKILL: NEGATIVE ARROWS OF DEATH!"

Nyau sent an unimaginable number of energy beams directly for Tatsumi. The speed they came was almost unmatched to the possible blow they could deliver. Tatsumi's speed would've been overwhelmed, but he then had an idea. His speed increased to such a way that he was almost impossible to see and fast enough to go through the energy beams.

"Impossible! You can't just do that!" Nyau yelled.

Tatsumi didn't say. Nyau barely had enough time to halt his attack and jump back just in time to avoid the armored teen.

"Shit…that was too close." Nyau muttered in frustration. "That kind of power wasn't from the Teigu. Is it possible that he went through my beams because of the same strange energy that course through my body?"

His guess was right; the mysterious power in Tatsumi was the cause. However, Nyau didn't get to make that conclusion when Tatsumi showed up. This time, the armored teen came from below and rammed into the enemy's chest.

"Urgh…!" Nyau grunted. He was shocked as he coughed up some blood. _'How did he get there without my detection?'_

His worse fear was coming to life; however, he still fought back. He smashed both his fist on the teen's back and caused him to let go. He then maintained himself in the air and tightened his fist in an instant that caused purple energy to glow on them.

"Looks like far-range attacks are pointless against you! Then I'll just have to beat you to a pulp with my own fists since I'm clearly the better hand-to-hand combatant!" Nyau stated.

Tatsumi knew the psychotic teen was right. Even as he maintained himself in the air, he remembered when he was beaten by the young man. However, the circumstances were different this time.

Soon enough, the both of them closed the gap between them. Nyau swung a left kick for Tatsumi, who dodged it in time. He surprised the young man before he then swung a punch which was also dodged. Nyau was troubled by it and swung another punch at him. Tatsumi caught it this time.

With Nyau's fist in his hand, Tatsumi attacked. He punched the demonic teen in the face and sent him flying higher into the air.

"Im-Impossible…" Nyau gasped.

The demonic teen knew fear again. His mind had flashes of the time he and his comrades fought Esdeath in a sparring match and lost. The reminder of that overwhelming straight from the woman was enough for him that day. However, he was experiencing the same fear from that time.

' _My attacks were fast, but…I could barely make out when he dodged.'_ Nyau said in his mind. He then pushed the fear back and let out a roar. "No, you cannot beat me! I am above you!'

He soon unleashed a volley of negative energy balls from his palms. Tatsumi saw them coming and weaved through them to the best that he could. They were much like a meteor shower, incredible to see from afar but deadly to anything in its path. Nonetheless, Tatsumi approached the demonic teen and punched him at the side of his head with one fist and then at the other side with his right fist. Nyau was then kicked at the chin and sent flying back.

' _He's too fast!'_ Nyau thought. He realized his position and remembered his mistress again. _'However…'_ He suddenly grew his confidence. _'dying for her sake is a greater honor! For that, I will not fear any other except her!'_

Nyau was able to hover again. He looked forward and saw Tatsumi coming before sending a punch at him.

"GOT YOU!" He shouted.

The demonic teen was right. His fist made its first collision with the helmet of Incursio. However, the punch didn't move Tatsumi at all; rather, it left Nyau open for Tatsumi to grab his throat and send his knee snap into his chest.

Nyau coughed out blood. Tatsumi's single kick sent a powerful shockwave that could be heard close by. Nyau felt numb by that single attack before waiting for the worse. Tatsumi did a spin and sent him flying down, precisely at the location of the Ryuusen.

It was in that moment that Ben returned back to the main deck. After getting every unconscious person to the inner part of the ship, he felt satisfied. But then the situation changed when Nyau crashed to the ground with a devastating impact that shook the entire ship.

Ben was easily taken aback. He was knocked off his feet and hitting the wall with his back. There was no real harm, but he winced as he returned to his feet. "What the…hell was that?" He asked.

Tatsumi landed at the other side of Nyau. His stomp alone shook the entire ship again; the battle wasn't over just yet. Nyau rose back to his feet weakly with his body battered and covered in his blood.

"What was that about Esdeath?" Tatsumi asked rhetorically. Nyau snarled, but couldn't make a move. "People like you already make this world the hell that it is! Just because you have power, you see it as a right to trample on the weak! But not me! Just like how bro stood for the people, I will do the same and make sure people like you understand what it truly means…"

Before he could finish, Tatsumi leapt straight at Nyau. His fist then connected deep into the demonic teen's stomach and became the most fatal blow in his life.

"TO BE PUNCHED FROM THE WEAK!" Tatsumi finished with a powerful voice.

His single punch was enough to send Nyau flying upwards. Along with that, there was a loud boom and a shockwave that pushed Ben back. Nyau was lost for words as his body kept going higher and higher until he was close to a thousand feet. From there, gravity took over and he was sent plummeting back to the ship.

The Rysuseen shook violently yet again. Nyau ended up crashing through the front desk and hitting the bottom of the ship. Ben was astonished by the power and stared at Tatsumi who stood motionlessly from the pose of his punch. Aria soon came out and stood close to Ben, bewildered at the scene.

"What just happened?" She asked.

"My grandma happened." Ben answered and stood up. "That symbol that she made for Night Raid on that night I fought Sunny is the cause of Tatsumi's strength. It just makes me wonder...does that mean Akame and Leone will be this powerful if they met Sunny themselves?"

Aria was curious about it too, but didn't say anything about it. The Incursio armor reached its limit and returned Tatsumi back to his normal self. The brown haired teen then fell to his knees in exhaustion. He had put a lot of power into the battle.

"Tatsumi!" Ben shouted worriedly.

The teen hero ran straight for the other teen. He would've gotten around the hole in the floor, but he was suddenly obstructed. Nyau rose from the bottom of the hole covered in a familiar pink aura. Ben gasped until he saw the motionless expression from the defeated young man.

"Sorry about that, Ben. I'm guessing that came a bit too surprising." said a familiar voice. Ben turned back to see who it was and was surprised. It was Bulat; however his body was covered in a pink aura and his voice sounded like a certain woman he knew.

"Grandma?" Ben guessed.

"Right on, kiddo." Verdona said. Her hand was already stretched out to Nyau. She then brought the boy to the floor in front of her. "He's still alive, but very barely. While Sunny is powerful to human eyes, her work was beyond an amateur. He was getting close to death's door every time he used that power."

Nyau groaned and tiredly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Bulat, whom he didn't know was someone else. Nevertheless, he became alarmed and pushed his hand into what remained of his jacket.

Verdona knew what he was looking for. She made a familiar flute to appear in her hand before displaying it to him. "Looking for this? I snatch this when you weren't looking." She said. "Such a complex and gifted device used for wrongdoings. I wonder sometimes what is wrong with this world. So dark and gritty it is, even more than other worlds I've seen."

"Give…that back." Nyau said with a pained groan. He weakly raised his blood covered arm at her. "That…does not belong to you. That Teigu…belongs to me. Esdeath-sama…lend it to me when…no one else would give me a chance. I was abandoned…my family killed…my noble prestige destroyed…I had nothing else to lose. But Esdeath-sama saw true potential in me and made me into the man I am. I…owe her…my life…and it is for that life that I…"

"Please stop, Nyau." Aria said softly.

All attention went to the girl as she walked over to the dying teen. She said no word until she knelt by his side and smiled at him sympathetically.

"This would be pointless, but I really am sorry for that time I mistreated you. If I knew better…No, if I was a better person, we could've actually gotten along. But you can rest now. You've fought well for Esdeath. I'm sure she will be proud of you."

Nyau growled. It was unheard due to his weak vocal cords. "How would you know?" He asked.

"Because I've seen the potential that existed in you too. Anyone with such conviction deserves some peace. But deep down, you know what you've done is wrong. Please at least let this moment be the only good thing in your life. If you wish, I will take Scream and use it to the best of its capability. That way, little boys who went through what you did will never have to stray to the path of blood and suffering."

"You…take Scream?" Nyau asked. He suddenly spat blood at Aria's cheek and growled. "I will never…betray Esdeath-sama! I will rather die…than see you touch my Imperial Arms…" He then paused and looked away. He saw Tatsumi and then smiled weakly. "I guess it's a good thing then…that I'm…a…dead man."

At last, the young man died with his eyes closed. Aria could see that without touching him. His last words before his death were clearly directed at her; however, whether it was a hidden permission from him to her to use Scream was mystery.

Aria decided then to stand back on her feet. Some part of her was saddened by the awful fate of her former friend. But with this moment, the teenage girl felt strongly convicted to honor her words to him.

"Are you sure you want this?" Verdona asked. "If I recall, you must have an impression of these...Teigu."

"Yes, that is true." Aria said. "But I feel confident that I can do it. Nyau was a good kid back when I knew him. I feel that Scream should be used for good, just like the little kid who played the flute used to be."

Verdona smiled in response. She was impressed by Aria and felt some easiness from her. Tatsumi chose then to speak as he approached Verdona. Incursio was in his hand as a sword before he stood directly before Verdona.

"Verdona, that's you, right?" Tatsumi asked. Verdona could sense some strained emotion in his voice. "That's not an image. You're actually inhabit Bulat's body right now...That's very wrong, you know."

"Yes, but for the moment. I –"

"Please…just let me have this moment."

Verdona was confused. If she was truly human, she might've even raised an eyebrow. The weather suddenly changed to a cloudy one. It then began to rain with an atmosphere that Verdona could recognize very well. She watched as Tatsumi let Incursio hit the ground and bow his head.

"Bro, I won thanks to you." Tatsumi said with a low voice. "I'm sorry, even in the end, I did things that would get me smacked…But I'll become strong. I'll try to learn to use Incursio as well as you did. So…so…" The teen couldn't hold his tears anymore. He fell on his arms and knees and let the tears leak out of his eyes. "Because of that…! It's okay if I cry a little bit now, right? Bro!"

There was no answer. Verdona could tell that he wasn't seeking one. Her presence in the man's body was supposed to bring him closure. She understood that to some extent and did nothing except look down on him. The teen's emotion became loud when he cried out from the pain in his heart. Ben felt sorry for his friend, but couldn't think of anything else to say. Tatsumi was mourning and he needed this moment to himself.

* * *

Somewhere in a remote region of the empire, there was a village known as Tengui Village. The people living there were known to be very generous. Their trading line extended to many places, including people of other races. Sadly, the history the village had was as dead as its citizens. Soldiers flooded the streets with bodies littering the ground. The grim atmosphere was only creepier as a single girl's was humming to a song happily.

Kurome was feeling very satisfied with herself. She was sitting on a huge pile of dead bodies and kicking her feet back and fought. Her slaughter of the people was still fresh in her mind as she was smiling.

"Phew! Human bodies can be so fun!" She said happily.

The soldiers below her weren't creeped out. They were used to her and sat back with one another after another day of genocide.

"As always Kurome is so easy to get along with." One soldier said.

"Kurome!" Another soldier called out. He was on his feet as he looked up to her. "A request for you to return to the Capital has come."

Kurome calmly took a piece of candy from her bag and put it in her hand. "Huh? Just for me?" She asked.

"Yeah…seems like it." The soldier said. "You're one of the seven –"

He was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Sunny had showed up in time and smiled when he looked back at her. "Let me talk with her. After all, I think this would be a good time to get to know a comrade."

"Uh right."

Sunny giggled and activated her powers. She then flew from the ground, surprising the soldiers there, and land close to Kurome. She wasn't a little bit taken aback when her shoes touched the bodies of the dead. The Anodite retained her smile as her eyes met Kurome's body.

"Who are you?" Kurome asked. She pushed her bag of candy from Sunny's view. "This isn't yours, just so you know."

"Of course, I knew that." Sunny said. "I'm Sunny Tennyson. Nice to meet you, Kurome."

"Tennyson…" Kurome muttered. She then paused and made a look closer at Sunny. "You…kind of remind me of someone."

"Oh?" Sunny smiled mischievously. "By any chance does this person have brown hair, green eyes and can turn into Danger Beasts with a watch on his hand?"

Kurome became suspicious. "I'm guessing you know him."

"Know him? We're cousins." Sunny said and laughed. "Besides, he's the one I want to kill me one day. That might sound confusing, but I think we have something in common, Kurome."

"And what's that?" Kurome asked.

"We care too much for the only person we have left in this world."

Kurome was surprised by this. The only facial reaction she showed was with her eyebrows. She never disclosed her feelings about her sister to anyone else. But the fact that Sunny knew about it intrigued her and made her to smile slyly.

"You said your name is Sunny. Why are you really here?" Kurome asked as she stood up.

"You have been chosen as one of the seven people to be a part of a very big thing."

"I'm guessing you are one of them as well. Can you elaborate a little?" She asked.

"You have a sharp mind. If you keep it up, I might end up falling for you." Sunny said teasingly. She got no reaction from Kurome though. "Sadly, I cannot tell you the context behind it except that it's a request from the Capital."

"The Capital huh." Kurome said with an uninterested tone. She then turned away and faced the sunset. _'Maybe I'll get to see you there, Onee-san.'_ She then turned her head to Sunny. "You said that you want your cousin to kill you. What will you do if he doesn't?"

"Oh, that's easy." Sunny said. She then grinned and glowed her pupil pink. "If he keeps resisting, I'll just bring him more despair."

Kurome was kind of impressed. The color alteration of Sunny's eyes was unexpected though. There was something about Sunny that peeked her interest. However whether if it was for her own benefit or not was left unknown as she put her arms behind her back.

"Then I guess we should get going." She looked away.

"Indeed, we should." Sunny did the same.

The both of them stood in silence side by side. Their future as comrades was uncertain. But it didn't change the fact that together these two girls would bring a new meaning of despair to the people they care about.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **Kurome is back! Yes, she has been in the fanfiction before. If you want to know how, look back at chapter 3's ending! I have big plans for her and Sunny, so look forward to that.**

 **This chapter was supposed to have a scene from the manga in the beginning. However, due to how long this chapter became, I decided to leave it out. Another scene I couldn't add here will probably be in the next chapter.**

 **Some part of me wanted Bulat to be saved. I wanted to stray away from all those fanfictions that have him killed off. I mean, I understand that he had to die in order for Tatsumi to have the inspiration to wield Incursio, but still I did think of a way to achieve his save and Tatsumi to survive. But I thought about it and realized that if I keep having characters saved then it would just lessen the stakes.**

 **By the way, Aggregor in this fanfiction is not the real one. Verdona created a version of him just for the purpose you saw in this fanfiction. There is a reason she didn't show herself physically in the Akame Ga Kill world, but I'll save that for the future.**

 **Thank you for reading this fanfiction. If you enjoyed this chapter, please favorite and follow and review so I can know your thoughts on this. Bye!**


	34. The Calm Before The Storm

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I'm very sorry that this chapter is coming late! I loved reading your reviews. They really gave me the boost I needed to write this chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!**

Now on to the chapter! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 34: The Calm Before The Storm**

Mine was in the hideout's hot spring, relaxing her body. Some people believe that hot springs actually have the power to heal a person's injury. How it was possible was up for debate. Mine had been out of Night Raid's battles ever since the unfortunate battle against Seryu and her Teigu. But now the time came that her arm was healed and she felt ready to go.

"Yes! Finally healed!" Mine stated, standing up.

The pink haired girl was determined to get back to work. So upon getting out of the hot spring and dressing up, she ran straight for Sheele's room, wanting to see her friend again.

' _Two days had passed since the Three Beast Warriors were killed. I've had to sit things out because of my injury. Now I can get back to work!'_ Mine thought. She was in such a hurry that she began fixing her hair right away. _'I have to work twice as hard to make up for the loss of Bulat_ _and Ieyasu_ _and Sheele's inactivity. But first I should...'_

She arrived at Sheele's room and knocked on it. She could hear an unfamiliar voice from the room from her place. Most cases, she would've taken this as something troublesome, but she had a feeling on who it was. She only opened the door when she heard the voice tell her to enter.

The scene she saw didn't surprise her. Sheele was being assisted by four Ditto duplicates through a practical exercise to get the purple haired woman to walk again. Sheele had to hold on to two ironic railings at both sides and attempt using her legs. The progress was unknown, but it was in the moment of that exercise that Mine had come.

"Sheele, you're up. I thought you'd be resting." Mine said.

"I was doing that, but…I thought I should get up and try." Sheele replied and smiled a bit. "Everyone's so busy with what happened to Bulat and I, I didn't want to bother their training. Luckily, Ben offered to help me out again."

"That's right." Mine said, somewhat conflicted.

While she does admire Sheele's determination, she couldn't help but feel useless. Bulat was gone and that was a big hit to Night Raid. Fortunately, the Ditto clones were in different positions to assist Sheele. Two of them were sitting on the railings, at the other end, while one of them was directly in front of Sheele. The fourth one sat on a chair close by, monitoring the whole exercise.

" **Leave it to us. We'll get her better."** Ditto 2 said assuredly. He was the one monitoring the progression.

" **Yeah, you go work that arm out."** Ditto 1 urged her. He was sitting on the railing at Sheele's left.

" **We've got this."** Ditto 3 also urged her. He even gave a smirk and thumbs up while sitting on the other bar.

"Fine, I'll leave." Mine said hesitantly. She then looked to Sheele. "Just try not to stress yourself Sheele. It's going to take some time before you can get back on your feet. You better not let this trouble you, okay?"

Sheele was silent, but not in a depressed way. She understood the concern for her health from her best friend. It made her smile even more in appreciation. "I'll keep that in mind." She said.

Mine then left the room and closed the door behind her. Her absence left the Dittos and Sheele by themselves. That was fine until Ditto 4, the one directly in front of Sheele, realized something.

" **Aw men, we forgot to tell her that one of us is at the training area."**

Sheele laughed a bit. She surprised everyone by doing that and got their stares. Fortunately, she noticed the stares and apologized. "Sorry, I was just thinking of old times with Mine. She's always been concerned about me. Sometimes I wonder which of us is the older one."

Ditto 3 sighed with a toothy smile. **"Yeah, she sure is something."** He said. **"She can be bossy, but her heart's in the right place when she's not trying to shoot me. I'll be surprised if she won't be trying to make up for –"**

" **Dude!"** Ditto 2 yelled.

Ditto 3 realized his mistake and quickly shut his mouth. Sheele found nothing wrong with it. In fact, she just looked at them with a smile. "It's fine. You don't need to hold yourself back because of me. I know Mine would work extra hard for me and because of the loss of Bulat and Ieyasu. That is why…" She paused and gripped the iron railings tightly. "I have to get back on my own two feet."

" **So…you're going to go back to being an assassin?"** Ditto 4 asked. He bowed his head down in sadness.

Sheele looked down on him. Her legs were far from being firm enough to support her body. But Sheele didn't let that stop her from bending forward and petting Ditto 4 on the head. She used her other arm to support her, but even then she fell to her knees.

" **Sheele!"** All the Dittos exclaimed. The clone most concerned was Ditto 4. **"Be careful! You could've gotten hurt!"**

"This is fine." Sheele said. Her hair covered her face, thus making it hard to see her voice. "I know my weaknesses and I accept them." She then grabbed hold of the iron railings again and tried pulling herself up. "But I cannot let my friends down…They are my family…Ieyasu sacrificed his life to save a person like me. I won't…No, I cannot let his sacrifice be in vain."

The Dittos were astonished. With each word the woman said, she was pulling herself up. However, the willpower she had didn't boost her legs long enough. She crashed down to her knees and caused the Dittos to rush to her.

" **Sheele, you okay?!"**

Sheele chuckled. "I'm…guessing I should rest now huh."

" **You think?!"**

* * *

It took a short amount of time before Mine pushed the entrance door aside. She had made it to the training ground, and with that a demand as she pushed her hand forward.

"Alright! I need someone to train with!" She shouted.

The pink haired girl was then surprised at what she saw. Lubbock and Tatsumi were seriously sweating while doing pushups. However, what made it a little more than that was the fact that Akame and Leone were sitting on their backs. Akame was sitting on Tatsumi's back and Leone on top of Lubbock. Aria was also involved but with a blue fish alien with legs and green eyes on her back instead.

"Hey, Mine." Tatsumi greeted.

"So you've recovered. That's good." Akame stated with a stoic face.

Mine hadn't dropped from her dumbfounded feeling. "What are you guys doing?" She asked.

"Leone and Akame are helping them to train." Eunice disclosed. She was sitting close by with Spear.

Tatsumi then explained. "After equipping Incursio, I understand that it consumes an amazing amount of spiritual and physical energy to use. I was just lucky that Verdona's power gave me easy access to its full power. But, in order for me to be able to use it as well as bro, I need to train my body even more. As it is now, I can barely use its invisibility for a few seconds before it releases."

" **As expected of Tatsumi."** The fjsh-like alien noted with a proud smile.

"T-This hurts my back." Aria said while panting. She wore different clothes that felt embarrassing to wear. For one, she wore a long purple pants and a bunch of bandages around her breast area. "Do I really have to wear this to train?" She asked.

"Of course you do." Spear answered from her position. "Now that I'm under Master Ben, I will be your trainer. Believe me when I say that by time I'm done with you, you'll be one of the greatest fighter."

Ben groaned in annoyance. **"You know, just calling me Ben is fine, right?"**

"Hold it!" Mine shouted and pointed at Ben. "Didn't I just see you with Sheele upstairs as some short black and white alien?!"

Ben looked to her. **"Oh, you're talking about my clone."** He said with a relaxed tone. **"Yeah, I can make an exact copy of my normal self and let him change into aliens too. The reason I don't use them so often is because they adopt one major part of my personalities."**

"Huh…" Mine paused and looked away. "Now that I think about it, you were acting way too positive for someone with your ego."

" **Like you're the one to talk!"**

Mine chose to ignore Ben with a simple snub. She then noticed Lubbock and said. "It's unusual to see you getting sweaty, Lubbock."

Lubbock grinned. "There are just the two of us guys in the group now. So, you know, I got to thinking maybe I should start taking things more seriously."

"Hmph." Leone snickered. "That sounds cool and all, but you can barely do half as many pushups as Tatsumi."

"Pfft." Lubbock looked away.

"That's to be expected." Akame said stoically. "Since there is such a large difference between Leone's weight and mine."

Akame didn't know it, but she just shattered something. It wasn't something that could be seen; rather, it was a thing that everyone knew they shouldn't bring up. Even the likes of Ben, Lubbock, Spear and Aria were left in dreadful shock once they heard the oblivious girl.

Leone's fist came directly down on Akame's head. It happened so fast and left the black haired assassin confused. But if that's not enough, Leone went over to Ben with a demanding question.

"You don't think I have too much weight, do you?!"

" **Wait, why am I being –"**

"Answer!" Leone demanded angrily.

Ben stuttered and looked around him. His eyes were visibly asking for help from anyone there. Sadly, it seemed he was alone. Spear looked away, whistling something, and Eunice held up her hands and shook her head slowly.

"Ben!" Leone called.

" **R-Right…"** Ben looked back at her nervously. **"You know, that question is so interesting that I just have….BYE!"**

He jumped off Aria and ran for his life.

" **Aria, training's over! See ya!"**

"Hey, get back here! Grow some balls and answer me!" Leone yelled and rocked her fist in the air.

" **Jokes on you! Walkatrout's species don't have balls!"**

Leone growled and was just about to chase after the fleeing hero. Fortunately, Najenda showed up almost out of nowhere, having no idea of what the fuss was about.

"Oh, you're all here." She said casually.

Najenda wore her regular clothes. However, what made her look different was the huge traveling backpack that she was carrying. Tatsumi wondered about that, but it wasn't until sometime passed that she answered. By then, Eunice, Spear and Aria had left and Tatsumi and Lubbock were dressed again.

"You're heading out to the Revolutionary army headquarters?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered. The huge travelling backpack was on the ground. "I need to go deliver the two Teigu we confiscated from the Three Beasts. It's kind of disappointing that we couldn't take Scream with us. Tennyson refused to hand it over."

"But it was his grandmother that helped Tatsumi back there." Akame stated. "Now that it's confirmed that the marks she bestowed upon Tatsumi, Leone and I, we have a better chance in a battle with Sunny. The least we could do for that was allow Ben to keep Scream."

"I figured." Najenda replied. "It would help if Lubbock and Mine were gifted with it. But considering the circumstance almost caused us most of our numbers, I think it's still beneficial that at least three of our members earned it."

"But why not bro?" Tatsumi asked with a depressed voice. "He received the mark and yet he was…unable to fight back."

"Maybe it has to do with his injuries." Leone suggested and crossed her arms under her chest. "I'm not sure. You can go ask that coward of a hero. We told his little group to leave the training ground since this is a meeting for Night Raid members only."

Tatsumi sighed and almost looked away. But then he saw Najenda about to pick up the Teigu axe that used to belong to Daidara. Considering its size by looks alone, Tatsumi knew how heavy it was.

"Boss, that axe is unbelievably heavy." He said, pointing at the thing.

"Oh, I can handle this much." Najenda replied. She lifted the weapon with her cyborg arm over her head and smiled. "See? I wouldn't be able to use it as a weapon, but if it's just carrying it, there's no problem."

Tatsumi was surprised. He turned to Lubbock and went close to him. "Was the boss always this amazing?" He asked.

"Of course." He answered. "You do know she's a former general, right?"

From there, Najenda put Akame in charge of the group. Tatsumi was doubtful about the female assassin until Lubbock assured him about her sticking to orders. It was then that Najenda disclosed her other reason for going to the Revolutionary Army HQ.

"I'm hoping they can spare some talented people to replenish our strength, but I'm not holding my breath." She said and lit a cigarette. "Our alliance with Tennyson is strong; however, I would not like to rely on him continuously before the day of the revolution."

"I'm sorry." Tatsumi apologized depressingly. "I was too weak."

Najenda was silent. She understood what Tatsumi was going through. Though the teen had won in the end, it had come in the cost of someone important to him. But she saw it as no time to moan or feel sorry for one's self, thus she removed her cigarette from her mouth and puff some smoke.

"The ones you were fighting, the Three Beasts, had the strongest offensive capabilities in the entire empire." She explained. "They were key figures in Esdeath's army. All three of them were eliminated and their Teigu recovered. Esdeath's strength may have no equal except to Tennyson, but her army has certainly been weakened as a whole due to this."

With that, she continued. "Their deaths will do much to allay concerns over when the revolution will take place. You did not only help to save the lives of the people on the ship, but also the lives of thousands of Revolutionary army soldiers. You are strong and you did well, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi became emotional as he tried to hold back the tears. Najenda's praise was something he appreciated deeply, but not without feeling reluctant. He was going through an emotional conflict and Leone didn't like it. So she decided to comfort him from behind.

"I wasn't going to tell you since I didn't want to inflate your ego, but Bulat said something to me a while back. He knew he wasn't going to make it back there."

Tatsumi was shocked. He turned to Leone with face expression mixed with confusion and bafflement. Akame and Lubbock didn't seem any different, with the same for Najenda. It was obvious by their calm demeanor that they knew too.

* * *

Days before the battle that took Bulat's life, there was a day which Leone and Bulat found themselves alone in the kitchen. It wasn't odd for such a thing to happen. Leone and Bulat were comrades and good friends. Sometimes they would drink with one another just for the fun of it. But it was this particular day that Bulat disclosed something shocking.

"You can't be serious!" Leone yelled and stood up from her chair. She slammed her cup filled with alcohol. "You think you're going to die on the next big mission?!"

"Crazy huh?" Bulat said with a calm smile. He put his cup down and looked up at Leone. His attitude then changed to a deep serious one. "But that's how it is. That Time-Traveller, Professor Paradox, indirectly said it himself."

"It's still stupid!" Leone said and stubbornly crossed her arms under her chest. "So he never met you in the future, so what? We never met him until a while ago."

"But have you wondered why?" Bulat asked seriously. "That time he greeted us, he met everyone at some point in the future, including Lubbock."

"But that's just baseless!" Leone retorted. "We're all ready to die for our sins one day! But you can't just say you'll die on the next big mission!"

Bulat chuckled and smiled. "Perhaps, you're right." He said. He then sat back on his chair and grew his smile into a smirk. "I just thought about Tatsumi. How will he handle it if it happens? Tatsumi may still be green and wet behind the ears, but I know that kid will become seriously strong in time. With strict training, I think he may become so strong he just might leave me in the dust. I just hope I live long enough to see that. I look forward to seeing him grow to that kind of man."

* * *

"But he still kept that thought that he'd die soon. I could tell that he just didn't want me to keep yelling at him." Leone said in conclusion. "One might think he let his guard down because of that kind of thought, but knowing Bulat, he gave the mission his all till the end."

Tatsumi was quiet, but not by his expressive face. A lot were going through his mind and he didn't know which one to pick. The guilt was gone, but only to be replaced by a big sense of responsibility, appreciation and sadness. Everyone there could understand and couldn't mind him looking down to the ground.

"Be proud of yourself, Tatsumi." Najenda said and turned her back on him. She swiftly wore her huge jacket and took the bigger travelling backpack with her. "And live on." She continued. "Show Bulat that you can become the kind of man he expected you to be."

With that, the boss of Night Raid left the hideout. She was positive about Tatsumi growth. The teen had gone through something that she knew would boost his determination. However, there was a problem and it came to her mind as she continued walking.

' _Even so, we're still shorthanded…'_ She thought. _'The report brought back by Leone says Esdeath is organizing a special force of Teigu users. Ben Tennyson and his companions can't be relied on if they're coming for us alone. We're in an alliance based on just the revolution's day. Eventually, he'll want to move out and setup his own base. It…looks like things are about to get more difficult.'_

* * *

Esdeath stood silently; the wind blowing blissfully against her as she looked at three graves. Her figure was everlastingly beautiful, but the moment wasn't right. Some part of her felt grief at the loss of her special boys she considered sometimes called dogs. That is why she had a bouquet of flowers in her hand as she stared at the graves.

"Liver, Nyau, Diadara." She said softly and firm. "You three lost…which means you were just too weak." She then knelt on one knee and placed her hand on a cross of one of the graves. "It's only natural for the weak to be eliminated…my weak subordinates. You were so weak that I'll have to take vengeance on your enemies in your stead."

Sunny clapped slowly and smiled mockingly. She was sitting on a cross not too far from Esdeath's left. The fact that she was there didn't surprise the ice general or bother her. She simply stood up and turned to Sunny.

"Today's the day. Do you look forward to seeing your new comrades?" She asked with an expressionless face.

Sunny simply smiled and nodded at the woman. Esdeath was fine with the response and walked passed her. "I don't know much about them. Maybe we should play around with them?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sunny grinned.

* * *

Wave was an ambitious young man. He was a 'man of the sea' and someone who was loyal to the empire's causes. But that didn't change the fact that he reeked of a country boy's aura. It also didn't help that he carried a sack of fish, clothes and other commodities for his convenience. Then there was the fact that he was one of Teigu users picked by the Capital to be a part of Esdeath's team.

The young man was fairly muscular and above average height. He had short dark blue hair and eyes and wore a cowlick. He also wore a blue leather jacket and a red scarf with an anchor drawn on it. Underneath the short, he wore a white shirt with a single blue line down the middle. Then there was his pair of grey jeans with a belt and dark blue boots.

Wave was proud of his looks. His former job as someone in the navy made him to barely be around people on land. So when he received the request by the Capital, he wasted no time to make himself look as good and flashy as he could. Unknown to him, his looks only made him stand out so much. He only sensed the bad vibe, but couldn't pick it up well.

Fortunately, he made it to a designated building somewhere in the Imperial Compound. The door with the name of the room he was told to go was soon in his sight. He felt determined and excited to go in and meet his new comrades. He knew the value of teamwork and had the knowledge that first impressions were important.

' _Alright, let's go in.'_ He thought and reached his hand to the doorknob.

However, the young man didn't go all the way. His reason was due to a faint voice from his left. It made him turn to its source and blush when he saw who it was. A girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail was running to his direction with a beautiful smile. She also wore a long sleeve purple shirt and a black vest on top and black pants and purple shoes.

"Hi! Hi!" She shouted freely.

' _C-Cute…'_ Wave thought. He then shook his head to focus. It was then that the girl approached him and he decided to play it cool. "N-Nice to meet you. Have we met somewhere?" He asked.

"No, but I kind of wish we did. You remind me of someone I know. Crazy huh?"

"Oh…um, I guess." Wave said with a blushing face. He then looked back at the door and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I have to get going. I'm supposed to be in there for something pretty big."

"Me too!" The girl said positively. She then pushed her hand forward for a handshake. "My name is Sunny Tennyson. You can call me Sunny. What's your name?"

"Wave." He answered. He then accepted her handshake. "It's really nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

' _She's pretty cute.'_ Wave thought right away. _'Why would a girl like her be requested here to be a part of a team? Does she have a Teigu? I don't see her with one.'_

Sunny let go and then put her arms behind her back. Her sweet smile didn't seem to cease as she then went closer to the young man. "Let's get going, comrade. We're going to be late." She said.

"You're right!" Wave nodded in alarm.

The young man returned back to his earlier character and excitedly opened the door.

"Good afternoon!" He greeted proudly. "I've come from the Imperial Navy. My name is –"

He suddenly became silent. His reason was because of the only person in the room. He saw a very muscular man with a gas masked, wearing nothing on his chest, thus exposing his three slash scars on his chest, while wearing white sleeves and white pants.

"Pardon my intrusion!" Wave slammed the door.

Sunny tilted her head with a confused look. The young man whom she knew as being upright was sitting on the floor, panting heavily like he had seen a ghost.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I…I am." Wave said hesitantly. "This room must belong to the office of torture. I…guess I mixed up the number."

"No, you're wrong." Sunny replied. She pulled out a paper and bent down to push it close to his face. "See. It says here that we're to meet at the Special Police Conference Room. That's what it also says at the top of the door."

"Eh?" Wave was shocked. He paused and looked at the doorpost and saw that Sunny was right. He then turned to the girl and stuttered a bit. "Y-You're right."

"Looks like it." Sunny replied. She surprised the young man when she went closer and grabbed his hand. "I know it can be scary meeting new people. But give them time and you might see that they're not what you think. We're going to be comrades, so we have plenty of time for that."

Wave was astonished. His heart skipped a bit as he could only stare at the girl in front of him. It was the first time he had this feeling. He didn't know how to respond to it or to the moment at hand.

Sunny giggled and opened the doorknob. "Let's go. Time to greet our comrade." She said.

"Right." Wave nodded.

He was back to seeing the very muscular man from before. That gas mask the man wore made it impossible to know what he was like underneath. In a way it scared Wave and made him feel smaller than he should. But not for Sunny; she went over to the man and waved.

"Hi! I'm Sunny Tennyson! Nice to meet you!"

The masked man didn't respond. He just stared at the black haired girl until she dropped her hand and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm…guessing you're not one for talking. It's cool." She said.

Again, the masked man didn't say anything. Wave and Sunny could feel the awkward air, thus the latter decided to lead the former to a couple of tables across the guy. It was only when they got seated that they let go of each other and Wave realized something dreadful.

' _Wait, shouldn't I have been a gentleman by letting her sit first?!'_ He screamed in his head. The 'trauma' became hard on him and he gripped his head. _'I'm sorry, mum! I completely forgot!'_

"Are you doing okay?" Sunny asked.

Wave snapped out of his phase and turned to the young girl beside him. He almost lost a heartbeat when he saw the concerned and worried look on her face. Wave stuttered and blushed and looked away. He couldn't look at her straight on.

"I-I'm fine. Thanks." He said.

"No problem." She replied with a happy nod.

Just then, the door opened and got the two youngsters again. Someone had just stepped in and she didn't seem to notice their presence. Sunny recognized that person right away, but didn't say anything. On other hand, Wave was delighted.

' _Another girl! This is good!'_ Wave thought. _'Maybe I can calm myself down with just talking to her. She looks normal.'_

Sunny couldn't help but grin a little creepily. It didn't take a mind-reader for her to know what was on the young man's mind. But she didn't say anything, though. She just watched Wave walk over to Kurome when she took a seat.

"H-Hey." Wave greeted. He got Kurome's attention just as she stuck a breadstick in her mouth. "Are you a Teigu user that was summoned her as well? Nice to meet you, I'm Wave…"

Kurome swiftly acted in the only way she could. She grabbed her bag of candy on the table and pulled it to her chest. She then gave Wave a weird glare and said. "You can't have any of my candy!"

' _She's weird too!'_ Wave thought, taken aback.

Just then, Kurome noticed a hand dip into her bag from over her shoulder. The person successfully grabbed a cookie and pulled it out. That, obviously, angered Kurome and made her to turn back to the one responsible.

"O-Oh hi, Kurome." Sunny greeted nervously. "You wouldn't mind if I –"

Sunny didn't get to finish that. Kurome quietly stood up, went to the fellow girl's back and wrapped her arms around the girl's waist. Then, before Sunny could apologize, Kurome did a German suplex so accurate that Sunny's head made a web-crack on the floor.

"Sunny!" Wave shouted in shock.

Kurome went back to her sit like nothing happened. She then went back to eating her candy while Wave ran over to the girl on the ground.

"H-Hey, are you okay?" He asked.

"You can say that…" Sunny replied with a weak tone. "I…really can't move. Can you help me?"

Wave was hesitant as he gulped down some spit. He didn't know what to think of the situation except how embarrassing it made him feel. But he remembered he was a man and he had to assist a woman. So without much delay, he carried Sunny in a bridal style and led her back to her seat.

"Thanks…" Sunny said and rubbed her head against his chest. "You have a nice body, do you know that?"

Wave didn't say; he was too nervous and embarrassed to give a response. He made it back to Sunny seat and placed her back. He then made it back to his own seat and sat there. The memory of what he did just a few seconds ago made him quiet and look away.

"So…" He said to change the awkward silence. "you know her?"

"Not really, but she's kind of fun." Sunny answered with a quirky smile. "I met her when I was sent to inform her about this new team up."

Wave quickly turned to her, surprised. "Doesn't that mean you know more about this?!" He asked.

"It does." Sunny answered. "I've been living in the Imperial Castle for the past few days."

Wave was shocked by this. Even a person like Kurome couldn't help but listen in on their conversation. The both of them did know each other, but didn't mean they were close to one another. The fact that Sunny stole one of her candy has put a divide between them.

Just then, the doors were suddenly pushed open. Seryu and her Teigu, Koro, had made it to the scene. She still wore her uniform from her time at the Garrison; however, the only major difference was her arms which were mostly machines now.

"Pardon us!" She said and saluted. "I've been reassigned from the Capital Defense Forces! I am Seryu Yubikitasi! And the little guy next to me is Koro!"

"So that's her huh…" Sunny said with a somewhat impressed look.

"You know her?" Wave asked.

"Not personally." Sunny said and giggled.

Wave was slightly uncomfortable by that and was even about to ask. But then Seryu did the unexpected by throwing a bouquet of flowers into the air, causing them to loosen and fall to the ground graciously.

"Dr. Stylish, the preparations are ready." She said and did a humble bow.

The man named Dr. Stylish stepped into the room. "First impressions are important…and would of course be important to be a stylish man like myself."

Dr. Stylish was a tall man with spiky black hair with a white patch and blue eyes. He wore square framed glasses and a yellow suit with a blue shirt, a tie and a white lab coat.

' _This time it's a crazy homo?!'_ Wave shouted in his head in shock.

Dr. Stylish noticed Wave. "Oh dear." He said. "On first look, you're clearly a country boy, but you're actually kind of good looking." He then winked with a small toothy smile. "I can make you even better. Let's get along well, okay?"

Wave was instantly dumbfounded. _'And he seems to have taken a liking to me…'_ He thought. Sunny giggled.

Then the final member walked in. He was a young man with fair blond hair and golden, wearing a white robe on top of a black shirt and pants with a brown belt. There was a feather pin behind his ear and a collar-like accessory on his neck. In his left hand, he was carrying a book.

"Good afternoon." He greeted pleasantly. "It looks like I'm the last to arrive."

"Hey." Wave greeted with a short glare. He didn't have any high expectation because of the others. "Nice to meet you, I'm Wave."

"I'm Run." Run replied with a genuine smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Wave was surprised and relieved. Someone else was normal around here. Sure, he thought Sunny was one, but he was kind of skeptical due to the way she acted with Kurome. Anyway, he didn't waste any time to grab the blonde man's hands and stare closely.

' _Finally! Someone here is normal too!'_ He thought.

Run, surprisingly, was calm by the weird physical contact. Apart from being confused, he didn't really say much about it. Eventually, Wave and Run returned to their own seats before everything became quiet. No one really had much to say until the first one in the room, the very muscular man with a gas mask, stood up and carried some tray occupied with cups of tea.

"Everyone…I've made some tea." He announced reluctantly. No one said anything about it though. The masked man went to each person and put a cup of tea. It wasn't until he put down Wave's own share that he said something to him and Sunny. "I must apologize to the both of you. It is our first meeting and yet I didn't greet you. I have a fear of strangers, you see…I was nervous."

"Aw, that's so adorable." Sunny said and giggled.

He showed a slight reaction to it, but it was hard to say what it was. His mask hid most of his expression, but it was clear by his tone that he appreciated Sunny's compliment.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He replied. "But it does not excuse what I did. I most likely have the most seniority here…and yet I act like that." He then held the empty tray with both hands to his chest and added. "Let's get along as fellow Teigu using warriors. I am Bols, from the Incineration squad."

"Haha…" Wave managed to say. He was uncertain about Bols appearance. _'He has a fear of people with that appearance?_

"I can relate." Sunny said with her elbows on the table. Her smile dropped a little, but not enough to make others notice. "No one should be judged for just who they are. As…human beings, we should try to understand each other and know just what we feel on the inside. Looks can be deceitful, after all."

Wave and Bols were astonished and mildly baffled. It took the Anodite a second to realize what she did and sheepishly smile at them with her hand behind her back. "Um…that's just what I think."

Dr. Stylish was skeptical on the claim. He had been observing, particularly on Bols and Sunny, and he came to his own thoughts.

' _The Incineration Squad are a unit that will stylishly scorch anything, be it man or thing…I see, that's why he has that look huh. He's definitely not my type. As for the girl…I've only seen her once and already that body of her…looks inhuman. The design may look alright to the normal eyes, but not to my stylish mind. Just what is your secret, Sunny?'_

Sunny smiled sinisterly. "She's here."

The door opened and it wasn't a new member. The person was a woman with beautiful long blue hair and a set of clothes that Sunny knew could belong to one woman alone. However, the reason she wasn't identified was because of the mask she wore. She walked close to the table while inspecting each person seated.

' _So Sunny and the other six are here…'_ She thought.

The masked woman came to a stop. Her presence obviously had most of their attention when her high heels clicking against the floor made a sound.

"Eh…Who's that?" Wave asked.

"I don't recognize any of you!" The masked woman stated with her finger directly pointed at them. "What are you doing in this room?!"

Wave was annoyed by the woman's tone. He stood up with a glare and said. "Hey now. We were called here for a special as –"

The masked woman kicked him, cutting his words off. Wave had no way to prepare, thus he hit the ground hard with his mouth open and his eyes without pupils. The attack instantly alerted everyone on the table, even though some of them kept casual and comedic looks on their faces.

Run saw that he was next. The masked woman was running straight for him when he stood up and pushed his chair back. So to avoid her kicks, the young man jumped back and dodged her quick attacks.

"Whoops." He humored.

' _This one's very good.'_ The masked woman thought.

Seryu and Koro took the chance to attack. They both jumped from behind, spaces apart, and the urge to kill clearly on their faces. Seryu was the most bloodlust, as she wasted no time. She swung a punch for the masked woman for a swift kill. However, the masked woman only needed to move her head aside and grab the younger woman's hand. So before Seryu knew it, she was slammed to the floor on her back, creating a dust cloud.

"Guh…" Seryu groaned.

"When attacking from behind, you give off too much killing intent." The masked woman said. Koro was held with her other hand on his face.

Kurome decided it was the right time to fight back. With a cookie in her hand, she jumped on the table and ran for the masked woman. She then gripped her sword's sheath and pulled out the weapon. In that moment, the masked woman had little time to react. Kurome made a clean cut of her mask with no expression whatsoever.

The masked woman was impressed. _'Even playing around, I shouldn't give this one any opening.'_ She thought and then stepped back.

"So that's the Teigu Yatsuhusa, huh?" Run questioned rhetorically. "It has a splendid cutting edge…"

Almost everyone was back together to see the mask falling apart. It was then that they recognized who they just saw fight them.

"General Esdeath!"

Indeed, they were correct. Esdeath smiled slyly as she removed her hand from her face and said. "You did quite well, but…who said this little exercise was over."

Just then, Kurome sensed danger and turned back. Sunny jumped at her with a swing kick that she had to block. However, the speed and strength that the Anodite packed was surprising and caused Kurome to move back to gain proper balance.

"I've been waiting to do this." Sunny said and crackled in laughter. She then clutched her fists and let pink orbs form around it. "This is for not sharing!"

Sunny then shot mana orbs at Kurome. It was a move she picked from a certain cousin of hers. But, of course, Kurome was able to maneuver herself through them and make her way for the Anodite. It was only when the distance was closed that the younger girl swung her blade to cut Sunny's abdomen.

"Nope, not happening." Sunny calmly said.

Before everyone's eyes, Sunny fell back and went through the ground. She surprised everyone by doing it, but also heightened their senses. Esdeath took a step back and watched what happened next. Pink tentacles suddenly shot out from where the Anodite used to be. Kurome was almost caught by surprise if not that she used her weapon to cut them and jump back.

However, the same couldn't be said for the others exactly. Mana-based tentacles shot out from almost every direction with the intent to grab a person. Wave, who had just woken up, was suddenly tied by his arms and legs and held against the wall.

"What the hell?!" He shouted in shock.

Run noticed some mana-based tentacles coming for him fast. He didn't seem that much surprised about them. So before any can come for him, he used just his hand to push them aside. His speed was quick and something that the mana-based tentacles couldn't go against even from below.

Then there was Bols. He was almost caught by the mana-based tentacles. However, it seemed his switch was flipped, as he then grabbed the mana-based tentacles coming for him with his own hands and gripped them. But then two tentacles came for his legs and tied around them. He was swiftly hoisted off his feet and into the air.

Then there was Seryu and Koro. The mana-based tentacles came for them, but couldn't grab them. Koro was in his big form, and with his mistress's skills, the both of them were able to fight off the tentacles easily.

"Koro and I can do this longer than you think!" Seryu proudly stated.

Sunny heard her fine and well. She had another trick in mind and decided to put it into action. Hence, she came out partially from a wall close by and waved sweetly at Seryu.

"There you are!" Seryu madly grinned. She made a swift jump for the Anodite with her fist held back. "Hold them off, Koro! I'm going to end this!"

Sunny thought otherwise. She suddenly sent four tentacles from her position and restrained Seryu's arms and feet. The young woman didn't like it and struggled in anger. "Come out and fight me personally!" She yelled.

"If I did, you wouldn't still be talking." Sunny replied. She then moved back into the wall, but not without doing one other thing.

Sunny sent a mana-based fist that stretched out from where she used to be and punched right at Seryu's stomach. But it didn't end there. The fist pushed Seryu out of the tentacles' grip and rammed her against Koro. When the dust cleared, Koro and Seryu were restrained on the ground by tentacles holding them down together.

"You don't seem to learn, do you?"

Seryu looked up and saw who said it. "General Esdeath." She muttered.

Esdeath said nothing back. She went back to watching the scene with her own mindset. It would seem Sunny still had her focus on Kurome, because mana-based arms shot out from different directions to grab the young girl. She failed, however, as Kurome swiftly cut them no matter the huge numbers that came for her.

' _Very impressive.'_ Esdeath smiled slyly.

Dr. Stylish sighed in disappointment. He dodged the mana-based tentacles with ease and made his way to a wall across the room "Such a fascinating power you have. It's such a shame that it lacks style, because if it did then you…" He paused and pushed his hand into the wall like it was water and pulled out Sunny. "could've hidden yourself much better."

Sunny was then thrown against the table. She was swift to do a backflip on the wooden thing and land next to Esdeath on her feet. The tentacles and the damages she caused then ceased and the room was back to normal.

"That hurts…" Wave groaned as he tried to sit up. He was successful to sit upright and see what the others saw, Esdeath and Sunny with mischievous smirks on their faces. _'So even the boss and Sunny are weird ones?!'_

"Nice job, Sunny." Esdeath said without looking at the girl. "You did splendidly well."

"I try my best, Esdeath-sama." Sunny replied.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Wave and his new comrades were set and ready. The sun could be seen at the horizon, signifying that it was evening. None of his comrades seemed to mind it; they were walking down a veranda in male business suits that fit each of them well. The reason wasn't clear as no one bothered to ask about it. Esdeath was their boss and they were going to listen to her all the way.

"Were you surprised by my little game?" Esdeath asked. "Wasn't it much better than the normally dull welcoming reception? Sunny was more than happy to assist me. She and I wanted to see what was brought to the table."

"I'm used to being treated rough." Wave dismissed casually.

"Aww, poor thing." Sunny said and wrapped her arm around Wave's own. She then pulled him close and giggled as she made eye contact. "You don't look hurt. You must be strong yourself. I didn't mean to hurt you, by the way. I hope you don't hate me."

"I…don't hate you." Wave replied embarrassingly. He looked way with a blushing face and muttered something. His reason for his state was because he could feel his arm pushing on Sunny's breast.

Everyone noticed the moment, but said nothing. Seryu was with Koro, holding him close to her chest with an appreciative smile on her face. "Thank you for the lesson, Ma'am." She said. "I've learnt much from today."

"Okay then!" Esdeath said with a smirk. Her own dress followed the same color scheme as the others. However, she wore it was a dress which had one slit at her leg's side, thus exposing. She almost put on her black hat and added. "We'll have a party after our audience with his majesty."

"What?!" Wave was surprised. "We're suddenly going to meet the emperor?! Isn't that a little too fast?!"

Esdeath turned her head slightly to him. "I like to get the annoying things out of the way first. You would rather handle your self-introduction next time, right?"

"Next time?" Wave asked.

"Esdeath-sama." Dr. Stylish called. "Before that, should we not decide on a name for our team?"

Esdeath paused for a second to think about it. She thought about their purpose and their objective. This caused her to smirk smoothly as she came to a concluded name.

"We are a unique force within the military, organized and tasked to mercilessly hunt down and eliminate atrocious groups of enemies. Therefore…" She paused and revealed the name. "We will be the special police force known as **Jaegers**."

With that, it felt official that their existence was real. The Jaegers went onwards to their meeting with the emperor. Their future was unclear, but it was certain with one thing. Any enemy in their way will be unfortunate because of the grave power they possess.

 **_(CHAPTER END)_**

 **And that's where I'm going to end this chapter. I know there wasn't any Ben 10 action. This chapter was more of a buildup to what is going to happen in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.**

 **Now I'm going to answer a question that came up.**

 **Question:** What's with Sunny being so suicidal and pulling a Joker's way with Ben? She can always have her fun anywhere else **(By CapitalClassShip)**

 **Answer: She has hinted over the past chapters on what led to her to be the way she is. As an Anodite, she adopted the Carefree spirit that inexperienced Anodites tend to have. Added to it, she feels that she has been neglected by her family. So she eventually snapped and wants nothing more than to have her amusement. Even while she works with Esdeath, it's just a roleplaying thing for her. This will be shown later on.**

On another note, to the reviewer Dcraus, I like your idea for a crossover. But I cannot do it. It just feels like a story I can't commit to 100%.

 **Well that ends all that. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this fanfiction. There is more to come, so please review, favorite and follow. I will see you guys in the next update. Bye!**


	35. Spear vs Kurome

Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you had a wonderful New Year! I apologize for not updating this before the big day itself; I was swarmed with work! In fact as I type this I have another work to do!

Anyway, you may have noticed but I'm finally free from that camp! It was more of a 20 days and a half stay than a 21 days stay. I'm just glad to be out of there. But that doesn't mean the service itself is over. Until the 15th of October I'll be busy working at some government building and helping the community.

I should also add that a friend of mine from abroad and I are planning to create our own Youtube channel. What will be the content? You'll just have to wait and find out when I think the timing is right.

Note: You may need to read chapter 3, 20 & to understand the references made in this chapter first. But if you think you won't be bothered by slight mentions of certain events, please go on and read.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS IN THIS FANFICTION! EACH CHARACTER BELONGS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND NETWORKS!**

Now that's out of the way, let's jump right into it¨

 **Chapter 35: Spear vs Kurome**

Sheele was training hard in the hideout's training room. With Extase in her hand, she rushed at a boulder and cut it in two perfectly from the sides. Everyone watching her clapped for her in applause.

"Way to go, Sheele!" Mine shouted happily.

"Yeah, that's nice. But I could do that better." Lubbock said smugly.

Leone nudged him at the side. "Ignore the pervert. He talks too much." She said.

Sheele smiled without saying a word. This feeling of gratitude was speechless to her. It was only lacking the appearance of a certain teenage boy with a certain alien device on his wrist. Sheele didn't mind the fact that Aria and Spear were also absent.

Eunice showed up to the training room. Sheele had been training for about an hour, which the Unitrix could see. The boulder she recently cut wasn't the only one. Other boulders cut in halves were also there.

"I see the treatment is working well." Eunice said as she approached the others.

"Yeah, it sure is." Tatsumi said happily. He stood up from where he was sitting with a question in mind. "But I've got to ask. Just what is the treatment you gave her?"

"It's a medication the Galvans developed." Eunice answered. "Azmuth gave it to me just in case I run into any trouble that leaves me paralyzed or wounded. I may be a prototype of the Omnitrix, but I don't come with the many failsafe it has."

"That Azmuth guy must be cool then." Tatsumi smirked. "Since he built the Ultimatrix, maybe he can get us some awesome gear."

"I wouldn't count him to do that." Eunice said.

"What? Why?" Tatsumi frowned in disappointment. "We're cool with Ben. I'm his friend."

"And so are Sheele and Leone." Eunice added. "But he sees all of you as just barbarians. He even wanted to pull Ben out of this world when he almost lost to the Prime Minister's son. I can't blame him really. He's the smartest being in arguably four or five galaxies."

"Uh…what are galaxies?" Tatsumi asked.

"Wait, I'm not Ben's friend?" Lubbock asked, confused.

Eunice frowned. _'These guys are really behind huh?'_ She thought. She then turned to Sheele and put up a genuine smile. "Anyway, not bad, Sheele. Keep it up and you'll be back to your full strength."

"She's right." Mine agreed. "You can then join us on missions again."

"Right…" Sheele nodded and looked her.

Akame and Leone noticed the hesitance in her voice. Something about Sheele was conflicted and it made them curious. But before anyone could ask, she turned back to Eunice and bowed her head at her.

"Thank you for what you did." She said humbly. "I know it may not have been easy. We are assassins and have killed many people. It's no secret that you despised us when we all met."

"True, there was that." Eunice admitted. "But after staying with you guys for a while, I finally understood why Ben cares for you guys. You're killers, but you're doing it knowing it's for the future of the innocents to live in peace. Back in my world, some criminals almost always found a way to break out and cause more trouble."

"You're world is weird." Leone stated with her arms crossed. "No offense, but if they keep breaking out then you should probably just end it all once and for all."

"Uh…we'll think about it." Eunice lied.

Before any conversation could be continued from that, Sheele decided to break it. Akame and Leone mentally noticed the conflicted look on her face. Since it was Sheele they were talking to, it was likely that she had held up such feelings for a long time.

"Everyone, I have something important to say." Sheele said reluctantly. "I can no longer go on as an assassin and as…a member of Night Raid."

Everyone presently there were shocked at the news.

_(LINE)_

The Jaegers were having breakfast. Wave and Bols had offered to cook the meal while the others wait. The moment was pleasant to say the least. Kurome, Seryu, Sunny and Esdeath were seated at the table while Run and Dr. Stylish stood aside discussing with one another. Koro was interested in Kurome's candy, but the stoic girl refused to let him have it.

Sunny frowned. She lived for the chaos and action in their world. But seeing everyone seated back made her feel they were being too normal. Fortunately, Seryu broke the small silence due to her fascination with the ice general herself.

"General." She called with a perky smile. "What about you? What have you been doing with your spare time?"

"Mostly hunting and torture." Esdeath graciously answered. She put down her glass of wine and continued. "Otherwise, I study. But at the moment…" She put her elbows on the table and held her hands to top of the other and smiled. "I was thinking that I might try my hand at being in love."

Both Seryu and Kurome were taken aback. Kurome didn't show it; her stoic personality prevented it, but Sunny could sense it. The shift in the air even made the Anodite smirk a little.

Esdeath then changed the subject. "By the way, I heard that you fought young Tennyson before my arrival. Can you elaborate on it? I would like to know the details."

"Um…yes, ma'am."

Seryu explained hesitantly. Sunny could sense the tension in the girl. She could feel anger, betrayal, fear, hatred and confusion from the girl. It wasn't like she could blame her; Esdeath could feel the emotions as she explained.

"I just don't understand…" Seryu said, holding her hands together under the table. "I thought we were on the same side. He even saved Koro and I when we were goners by an Imperial Arms user. But that night…he just attacked us for no reason to the point that we almost died."

"Was there a guy with spiky hair?" Sunny asked. She already knew the answer to the question though.

"Uh, yes." Seryu answered with a surprised look on her face. "You know him?"

"Sort of. I almost killed him and his Night Raid friends." Sunny continued. "That guy was a friend of Ben's. You definitely pissed Benny off when he saw him dead."

Kurome's interest was peak. She didn't show it though. The conversation between Sunny and Seryu was too interesting.

"So Ben's a member of Night Raid?" Seryu asked.

"Nope." Sunny shook her head. "He hates those guys so much that he already fought them on his own. But he does have two friends within their ranks – well more like he used to. You already killed one of them."

"I don't regret it." Seryu stated sternly. "He was a criminal that had to be dealt with. The fact Ben even has a friend within them disgusts me."

"But it gives us an opportunity." Esdeath said with an intrigued smile. "If he has another friend within them, perhaps we can use the young man to track Night Raid's hideout and neutralize them once and for all."

Seryu grinned maliciously. She enjoyed the idea of finding Night Raid's hideout and taking them out.

"By the way, have the reports on the missing Teigu and the axe come in?" Esdeath asked.

"Yes." Seryu answered and frowned a bit. "Investigation into their disappearance is unconcluded sadly. The guard on watch stated he saw a blue flash of light from the room that contained them. We suspected he might've been lying about it and whisked them over to some potential buyers. But he didn't give in even after days of intense interrogation. Before we knew it, he disappeared along with any traces of his family."

' _Paradox. That must've been his doing.'_ Sunny determined easily. _'I did sense some slight shifts in the vicinity on that day. No one can cause such a thing even with a Teigu like that Prime Minister's son.'_

"That's disappointing." Esdeath commented. "I would've recommended investigating it but something tells me that the disappearances aren't in our field."

"I have a question." Kurome said with her left hand up.

"Go on." Esdeath permitted.

Everyone was intrigued to hear what the stoic girl had to say. Usually she'd be quiet and eat her candy while others talked. It was a nature that they were already getting used to. She put her hand down and spoke.

"Is Ben Tennyson the kid with brown hair and a number 10 on his shirt?" She asked.

Everyone was either fascinated or surprised. The only people who knew Ben's description were Esdeath, Seryu and Sunny. The others had only heard his name since it was confidential to the public and they were granted permission. The Capital had forbidden under Esdeath's request to keep him off from the wanted list for the time being.

"Yes, he is." Esdeath answered. "Did you meet him?"

"Yes, in the forest when I was hunting for a Danger Beast to add to my arsenal." Kurome answered. "He changed into some kind of Danger Beast that was loud and talked a lot and beat up an Apeman. He was there because of some blonde girl."

"Blonde girl?" Seryu asked. It then clicked into her. "Are you talking about Lady Aria?"

Kurome didn't say. She shrugged her shoulders in response and dipped her hand into her bag of cookies on the table. Esdeath was curious and intrigued by this information. She then turned to Seryu with a question in mind.

"You called her Lady Aria. I'm to assume that she's of a noble status."

"Yes, ma'am." Seryu admitted. "She was the only survivor of Night Raid's invasion on her mansion. Ogre-sama took her in, but Night Raid came and cut him down. Ben was able to save her in time and get her away."

"I see." Esdeath said and stood up. "I think it's high time we track her down. If we find her, we can find Ben Tennyson and if we find him then we'll find Night Raid. Besides, she's a criminal and has to be persecuted."

Seryu was surprised. "I'm sorry, but how? She's from a noble bloodline."

"Just a hunch." Esdeath smirked.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Wave felt bored patrolling. It had been two hours since Esdeath had dispatched them into a team of two. He and Kurome were meant to patrol one of the shopping districts in the Capital for any signs of Tennyson or Aria. He doubted it though, seeing as Ben had been involved with the Capital too much to be involved.

"I wonder how long till we can stop." He said with a sigh. His hands were behind his head as he thought carefree. "I don't think Tennyson would show up at the very place that he attacked multiple times. Yeah, he doesn't have his wanted posters up, but he – Ow!"

Wave bumped into someone. He hadn't expected such despite the street being less crowded and popular to the average commoners. But being the polite man he is, he looked to the person and apologize.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't –"

Wave was baffled at who he saw. Their search may be been for two hours, but he never thought that it would've been successful. Ben Tennyson was standing in front of him with an apologetic look on his face. Aria was also with him at his left side and an unfamiliar woman at his right side.

"It's fine, dude. I wasn't looking either." Ben admitted.

Wave couldn't speak back. He was still baffled by who he was staring at. Kurome somewhat understood his shock, but not to the extent of doing the same thing.

"He ate something bad, but he'll be fine." She said.

"I see…" Ben replied awkwardly. He and Aria and Spear then walked past them. "Have him taken to the doctors, okay?"

"Sure." Kurome answered with her eyes following him. She then turned to Wave and slapped him on the left cheek.

"Ow!" Wave yelped and rubbed his cheek. "Thanks. I needed that. Let's follow them and see where they're going."

Kurome simply nodded. She and Wave followed Ben and his group from behind with utmost secrecy. The passersby functioned somewhat as a shield as they weave their way through them with ease. Eventually, they followed Ben and the girls to a café and watched them seat under an umbrella table.

"He's acting too nonchalant." Wave whispered.

He and Kurome were also sitting under an umbrella table. Their table was some feet away from Ben and his group and allowed them to watch without getting spotted. Kurome did hear Wave, but she chose to ignore him and focus on them.

"Master Tennyson, I have a question." Spear said respectfully.

"Shoot." Ben replied.

"I don't want to shoot. I just want to ask something that has been bothering me since we came to the Capital."

Ben groaned. _'Great. Just_ what _I needed. Another Rook has appeared.'_

Spear asked anyway. "Why are we here? Do you wish us to do some scouting for any crimes?"

"Uh, firstly, I told you to stop calling me master." Ben said. "Secondly, we're celebrating Aria's training and your teaching skills. The both of you have done pretty well. I'm so proud."

Aria blushed while Spear smiled. They felt appreciated by the young hero that they knew. It reminded them about Ben's goodness and generosity towards them, and his commitment to protect the innocent.

With all that, celebration was needed. Ben allowed them to order for anything they want. Spear was reluctant until she decided to order for a non-alcoholic drink. Aria ordered for vanilla ice cream and became happy with the result.

"So good!" She exclaimed happily while savoring the taste. "This brings back so much memory. I used to order for things like these when I was a noble."

"I'm glad you like it." Ben stated.

"Wait, didn't you kill people back then?" Spear asked obliviously.

Aria's eyes widened as she remembered what she said. Spear's question caused her to look away in sadness and frown. The ice cream was no longer on her mind. Ben felt guilty while Spear remained oblivious.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

"You shouldn't bring that up in public." Ben said with a sigh.

"It's fine. No one is hearing us. Everyone seems to be…minding their business."

Spear's hesitation hinted with suspicion. She had cleverly looked around and noticed two familiar faces sitting just some feet away. It made her suspicious, but not enough to draw attention. She needed to get Ben's attention about it and fast.

"Waiter, may I have a towel?" She asked.

"Spear, you need to apologize to Aria." Ben stated.

"No, it's fine." Aria said with the same frown. "We shouldn't let my troubled past stop us."

The waiter came and brought a white towel. Spear took it from him and gestured him away. Ben and Aria, meanwhile, went back and forth on the issue about Spear and her behavior. Spear bit her index finger with her teeth and used the blood to write something on it. It caught Ben's attention and alarmed.

"Spear, what are you doing?" Ben asked.

"Just making some art with the towel. I think Aria would appreciate it once I'm done." She answered calmly.

"But you're –"

"Please, Master Tennyson, let me finish." Spear interrupted.

The graduate of the Imperial Fist was trying hard to disguise her true intention. Wave and Kurome didn't seem to have notice her intention, which was good. She finished what she was doing and then turned it to Ben to see.

"What do you think, master? I tried my best." She said with a sweet smile.

Ben's eyes widened. He hated the sight of blood and the smell of it. But the message on the towel was something that he couldn't ignore. The towel said: Do not look back, but we're being watched by those two from earlier.

"I…think it needs some work." Ben replied hesitantly.

"What about me?" Aria asked obliviously. "I thought it was supposed to be me to see it. I mean, it should be, right?"

"I wanted Master Tennyson to see it since he favors you more." Spear answered calmly. "It'd appear I'll have to restart all over."

Kurome became suspicious. She could see Ben and the girls with Wave next her. Their attempt to blend in was successful to say the least. The both of them had ordered things to eat and drink so they wouldn't draw attention. And yet she knew Spear had discovered them.

Ben contemplated over their next move. He knew he couldn't let Kurome and Wave know that they suspected them. He also knew that one wrong move would get the Capital's forces on him again. The teen didn't want it, but fortunately he had an idea.

"Loosen up, Aria. We're here to enjoy ourselves, right?" Ben asked with a genuine smile. He then grabbed his drink and sat back with a cheeky grin. "We're going to be busy from here out, so let's have this moment while we still can."

"You're right." Aria smiled.

Spear understood Ben's secret response to her. She played along by forming a smile on her face and nodding at him. Ben ordered a drink which they all put into their respective cups and had a joint cheering. It was a normal time and something that the three of them enjoyed.

Meanwhile, Wave was growing bored. He had been watching the group of three for about thirty minutes. It made him wonder when they could make a move on them.

"How long are they going to be there?" Wave asked. "I think we should get in touch with the general and let her know they're here."

"I already did." Kurome informed him. She ignored the shocked look on his face and continued. "Besides, that tall girl knows that we're here. We should follow them when they make a move."

"Uh…sure. You mean like right now?" Wave pointed.

Kurome looked back and saw Ben and the girls leaving. She didn't say a word to Wave to stand up and follow the group. The black haired teen had to follow her from behind and let her lead the way.

The chase was on. Ben and his girls went through the street, talking with one another casually, with Kurome and Wave following from behind. The duo kept their distance to avoid getting into some form of confrontation with them. Their mission was to find and follow them. Direct combat wasn't needed unless necessary.

In time the number of people on the streets began to change. Wave and Kurome were becoming suspicious when they noticed they were passing unpopular places. Criminals sometimes dominated that area, but they didn't know that. Some civilians were seen, but the duo only remained their focus on Ben and the girls.

Eventually, the chase led them to an alley. Ben and the girls went through it without another word. Kurome's suspicion increased along with Wave's tracking instinct. The both of them paused for a moment to contemplate following them to the alley. A trap was possible; however, they couldn't afford to lose them.

The alley turned out to be a dead-end. Kurome wasn't surprised by it, as seen by her stoic face expression. However, the shift in the atmosphere changed and made them to turn back just in time to see three familiar faces. Ben, Spear and Aria stood at the entrance of the alley, blocking the only way out.

"I've got to say, you guys aren't what I expected from the Capital's new forces." Ben casually said.

"You knew we were following you." Wave stated bluntly with a glare. He reached his right hand to the hilt of his sword. "Surrender now. The three of you are under arrest."

Spear became offended. "How dare you insult Master Tennyson? I'll make sure you regret it."

"Spear, you're not helping." Ben said. He then sighed and pinched his nose and looked back at Wave and Kurome. "Look we don't want to fight. The last time I fought in the Capital, it didn't go so well. So how about we call this a day and go our own –"

Kurome made a leap at Ben quickly. Ben saw her coming and made no motion to avoid her. Kurome's speed was too fast for the teen to avoid; fortunately, he didn't need to make a move. Spear intervened with her weapon (an actual spear) and clashed with Kurome's blade with a swift move.

"So I'm guessing that's a no." Ben said nonchalantly.

Spear and Kurome were in a standstill as both tried to overpower the other with their weapon. This meant that their strength was put up to the test but with neither able to win. Eventually, they broke apart by making a jump back at their respective member.

"That girl's good." Kurome commented with a monotone voice.

"Thank you. I learnt from the best teachers in the Imperial Fist." Spear said with a boastful smirk.

"You're from the Imperial Fist?!" Wave asked in offense. "How could you join a criminal and a murderer?! Don't deny it! We overheard what you said about the noble girl with you!"

Aria was shocked but guilty when she heard that. Ben knew the kind of effect it had on her without looking. It made him angry.

"And you guys are better?! How many innocent lives did the both of you take to kiss the prime minister's butt?! At least she's realized she was on the wrong side!"

"We've had enough!" Wave stated boldly. He drew out his sword and struck into it the ground. "I won't hear anymore of this! We'll take you guys down here and now! GRAND CHARIOT!"

Powerful wind emitted from Wave's sword. Ben and the girls were taken aback when they saw a giant armored figure in black appear behind him. It reached down on Wave and took him in. When the wind dispersed, Wave stood in a black armor with blue eyes with a phantasmagoric defensive film on its back.

"That transformation is like Incursio!" Ben stated the obvious.

"Don't compare me to that prototype!" Grand Chariot retorted and flew straight for them.

Ben was kicked in the stomach and knocked to the ground on his back. Spear screamed Ben's name and turned to save him from Grand Chariot. She failed though, as Kurome attacked her swiftly with her sword and caused her to back away when she used her weapon to block.

Aria was surprised by the turn out. The kick from Grand Chariot caused the teen hero to groan when he sat up. His stomach couldn't recover from such an attack so soon. It took much of Ben's resolve to sit up and hold his stomach.

"Ow…That's going to leave a broken bone or two." He muttered.

"You have no idea." Grand Chariot said boldly. The Imperial Arms user walked up to Ben and lifted him off the ground by his shirt. "I could've killed you with just a stronger kick, but we have to take you in."

"Sure, I get you. But there's just one thing."

"What's that?"

Ben lifted his Ultimatrix arm to Grand Chariot's view and slammed his hand on it. "I can still do this." He answered.

Ben's body was instantly engulfed by green light. Wave was taken aback by it and released the teen intentionally. He then regretted it when a red fist hit him right in the face, sending him flying back into the alley.

" **FOURARMS!"** Ben bellowed as the alien form. He then looked at himself and smirked. **"I would've preferred Lodestar, but this guy works too!"**

Grand Chariot was angry. He wasted no chance to get back on his feet and charge straight at Fourarms. However, he barely had a chance against the alien hero, who reacted quickly. Fourarms clapped his hands together and created a shockwave that sent the Imperial Arms user back in the alley.

Aria was surprised. She was the only one out of the fight due to obvious reasons. Grand Chariot's crashing into the alley broke through the wall and created a small dust cloud. Fourarms saw the brief moment as a chance and leapt up into the air so he could come down on the Imperial Arms user.

He failed, however, as Grand Chariot leapt out of the alley and got him. Fourarms's coughed out some saliva as the Imperial Arms user's fist dug in deep on his stomach. The both of them were flying higher into the air because of Grand Chariot.

"Did you really think I would be taken down that easily?!" Grand Chariot asked angrily.

His anger became his boosted strength as it heightened the adrenaline rush. He grabbed the alien hero by the leg and swung him around in the air. Fourarms was unable to control himself due to the suddenness and latitude and the fact that Grand Chariot had him. The Imperial Arms user only let him go when he threw him down to the ground, which shaken the ground.

Aria tried to rush over to Fourarms to assist. Grand Chariot's throw was so powerful that a strong dusty wind caused her to stop at her tracks and shield her eyes. She barely had a moment to look at the aftermath of Grand Chariot's attack.

"Grand Fall!" Grand Chariot exclaimed.

Before Aria could blink, the Imperial Arms user came down Fourarms with a drop-kick.

"Ben!" She screamed. She reached out into her side where the Imperial Arms, Scream, was strapped. "Hold on! I'll help you!"

"You mustn't, Aria!" Spear shouted. She was fighting Kurome some feet away with her weapon. "These two might be the new team Esdeath formed. The ice general herself might be close by. You cannot use that Teigu here!"

Aria hesitantly complied. The situation made her feel useless as she couldn't do anything. Spear didn't have it any easier though. Kurome was proving to be quite the opponent as she was able to push Spear back despite the older girl's skills. If it weren't for the fact that she was a graduate of the Imperial Fist, she certainly would've been dead before the battle began.

"Don't think I don't know that Imperial Arms you're using!" Spear said bluntly. "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa. The katana weapon with the power to reanimate and control the corpses of those it has killed. The Imperial Fist is taught about some of the Imperial Arms that serves the empire just in case we run into them. That is one of the reasons why I shall not let myself die in your hands."

Kurome thought otherwise. She didn't have to say anything when she suddenly slashed through the middle of Spear's weapon. The Imperial Fist's graduate would've been surprised if not that she regained her stance and gripped the two sides of her weapon and clashed with Kurome's blade.

"What did I tell you?! I'm not dying here! My life belongs to Master Tennyson!" She stated angrily.

Kurome again didn't say anything. Her situation wasn't too different from the many opponents she had faced and killed. But her expression was angering Spear and in a way distracted her from another opponent.

Kurome saw her 'puppet' appear behind Spear. Natala, a childhood friend with blonde hair and blue eyes was ready to slash Spear with his weapon. He wore a long trench coat with a green and blue scarf and knee-height boots. Spear, fortunately, saw him and swiftly moved aside to avoid his attack.

"Another one?!" Spear asked, confused.

The girl had little chance to react. Her instincts kicked in and she began to run. Bullets were coming straight for her without any indication that it'd stop. Spear noted their accuracy and their trajectory just from her distance. The shots only ended when she came to a stop and looked up at a rooftop not too far.

Another puppet of Kurome had joined the battle. Her name was Doya, an assassin from the Northern Tribes. She wore a brown hat, best which was joined by a red scarf and boots which represented the southerner type of outfit. She also wore a greasy long-sleeved shirt underneath and blonde hair and green eyes. Her main weaponry were two pistols, which Spear had skillfully dodged.

"Not many can say they avoided Doya's bullets and lived to tell the tale." Kurome said amusedly. Natala stood behind her while she had her hands behind her back.

"Those are corpses! You coward!" Spear stated angrily. "You can't fight me one-on-one, so you call for those whose souls should be at peace! People like you disgust me! I'll ensure that your Teigu is destroyed and those souls are freed."

"Not if you become one of them." Kurome smirked

Doya opened fire. Spear saw them coming and quickly used the two ends of her weapon to deflect the weapons aimlessly. Her efforts were admirable, but they were a cover for Natala to approach her and attempt to slash her. The young girl was barely able to bend back and miss his blade which enlarged in size.

' _Too close! He's fast!'_ Spear thought as stared at the corpse blonde. _'Is that weapon a Teigu? Doesn't matter. I can still fight!'_

Spear sent a kick up and hit the blonde at the jaw. She then did a backflip and landed on her feet. The fight was good until another puppet arrived. His name was Henter and he seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind her.

Spear barely escaped one of his thrown knives. She felt its cold and metal brush through her back when she turned to punch him in the face. Its nature was almost like a ghost when he went through the air to dodge her punch. Any other attempts to hit him failed as he kept on dodging.

Spear could already feel fatigue. She knew the battle was dragging longer than it should have. Kurome's puppets were no amateurs when it came to her level of skills. They were coordinated and unbelievable skilled to match and overpower her.

Henter's next attack was a barrage of knives. Spear was barely able to use both ends of her weapon to deflect them away. She was almost in the clear when Natala suddenly appeared in front of her and thrust his weapon and extended its staff so the long blade on top could kill her. It was a close call but Spear fell to the ground on her back and rolled out of the way.

Natala wouldn't allow her though. He held his long weapon and sent it down on Spear. The young girl barely made it out of the attack unharmed. His attack caused a small shockwave to send her flying away.

Spear coughed and quickly stood back on her feet. Her body was growing exhausted with each attack she had avoided. She lost her weapon when she had been flown away by Natala's attack. She was, thus, weaponless as she tried to make her last stance.

' _This is dragging on longer than it should. I'm barely able to keep up with them now.'_ She thought as she made it to her feet. _'But…for Master Tennyson's sake, I mustn't –'_

Henter interrupted her train of thoughts when he sent another barrage of knives. Spear saw them coming and tried to avoid getting hit. Her effort wasn't easy though, as the knives she passed still scratched the surface of her skin and clothes. The pain was getting too real and she didn't know the time extent she'd last.

The final blow then came with a bullet to her chest. Spear barely noticed it before it went right through her body. Blood came out of the opened end that was her back and she gasped. It surprised her and made her stumble backwards until her feet staggered and she fell on her knees.

"What…just happened?" She muttered weakly.

Henter appeared in front of her. Spear could feel an odd emotion coming back to her. It was fear and it felt cold and chilling as she saw the corpse coming straight for her. It reminded her of a moment in her life that she couldn't forget. The time she was almost killed by Nyau, one of the Three Beast Warriors, when he was able to tear her face off because he liked it.

' _What is this? Why…can't I move?'_ She thought frightfully. _'This cold feeling…This unimaginable pain right now…I know what it is. It's the chilling feeling of death. I'm going to die here.'_

Everything in that moment seemed to be slow motion for her as she watched her killer coming for her. It should've then been over for her. There wasn't that much fight in her anymore. However, there was a flash of memory and she suddenly shifted that stance.

"LIKE HELL I'LL DIE HERE!" Spear yelled suddenly.

The adrenaline rush in her went through the roof and pushed her back to her feet. She instinctively grabbed a knife from the ground and pierced it right through Henter's throat. With it, she tore through his skull and kicked him right in the stomach.

"MASTER TENNYSON…HASN'T GIVEN ME PERMISSION TO DIE YET!" Spear bellowed.

Fourarms was surprised to hear his name. He was still engaged in battle with Grand Chariot when he looked back and saw Spear's stance. The young girl's clothes were covered in tears and blood was leaking through the wounds she had.

"SPEAR!" Fourarms shouted. He was reminded of Ieyasu, who had also fought in a similar manner until his death. "I can't let her go on like that. She'll die just like Ieyasu."

Fourarms turned his body to assist her. Time was ticking and it was only a matter of time before Spear's body would fall due to one or many factor the hero could imagine. However, Grand Chariot came in the way in front of him and swung his spear to kill him. Fourarms had to jump back to avoid getting killed.

"Your fight is with me, villain!" He stated boldly.

"I don't have time for you!" Fourarms angrily said and clapped his hands together.

Grand Chariot saw the shockwave coming. The last time he had been caught off guard by it and hit. But the situation was different this time and he was ready. As such, when the attack came, he swung his weapon at it and caused a huge explosion that destroyed anything in their vicinity.

Spear was shaken by the ground. Grand Chariot's move had been felt tremendously. But it didn't excuse Natala, who came for Spear again with swift moves. He was fast and swung his weapon with such precision and speed that it was almost hard to keep up.

Spear was able to narrow down his weakness though. His weapon was for long-range attacks, which gave her an idea. As such, she moved as fast she could, predicting his actions by pushing her body further than it should. It didn't take her long to get close to him and punch him right in the face.

Natala was taken aback by the attack. Spear's punch caused him to jump back just to avoid falling down. He was a corpse, so he didn't feel any pain. Spear was running straight for him again with so much determination in her.

The corpse quickly extended his weapon to slash the young girl right in her tracks. He failed when she jumped up into the air with the intention of a drop-kick. Natala seemed to sense it as he jumped to the side to avoid it. Spear followed that move, however, by landing directly where he once stood and throwing the knife from earlier into the area where the arm was connected to the shoulder.

Natala was caught off guard. The arm holding his weapon felt numb due to the block caused by Spear's knife. It also distracted him long enough for Spear to attack him with a coordinated move. She used her right open hand to push against his face to distract him further. She then followed that move by punching him right in the gut and sending him flying into a shop.

Natala stood up from the inside. His silhouette disturbed Spear and made her look around. There had to be something she could use to stop the moving corpse. Fortunately, she saw that thing and recognized it as his weapon.

Just then, Henter came for her from seemingly nowhere. His head was still split in two and blood gushing as he came for her. Spear quickly grabbed the weapon and sliced him in two from the abdomen. She then twirled the weapon and threw it straight for Natala's stomach like a javelin.

The corpse was coming out of the shop when it was close to being eliminated. Kurome quickly intervened with her katana and hit the weapon away. Her attitude then changed when she turned to Doya.

"YOU! KILL HER RIGHT AWAY!" She yelled in anger.

Spear discovered Kurome's trigger, but it was too late to stop it. Doya did as ordered and began shooting at her with rapidly. The bullets were coming faster than usual and made it harder for Spear to dodge flee from the scene. The young girl jumped back when suddenly she was hit at her right leg's ankle and her left arm.

"Argh!" Spear screamed.

Kurome saw her opening. She may've wanted the girl dead, but not in the way that would make her a body with bullet holes. Someone had to compensate for Henter's loss and she just found that person.

Kurome removed her puppets and went for Spear. Everything was happening so fast for anyone to predict how the battle would end. Spear's body was falling backwards while Kurome was closing the distance with her katana to end the fight. Spear could see the girl coming for her and feel the dread of servitude as an undead.

' _So…that's how it is. I'm sorry, Ben…I'm sorry, father.'_

Her doom drew close. Spear could sense it with each crunching sound Kurome's fast feet made. The countdown had begun and it was only a matter of time before it ended. It was even clear to Aria as she reached for Scream to stop Kurome.

' _Wait, is this truly the end…?'_ Spear thought.

Life memories suddenly went through her mind. Each contained a specific moment in her life from the very moment she could remember things. From her age of four, to her zeal to fight, and to her day she went to the Imperial Fist to learn martial arts, all of them were held dearly to her. Those memories also went to the day her father died before her. She had wept bitterly on his dead body for about an hour on that day. Then there was that day she had sworn to serve Ben since he was the reason she was alive that day.

' _That's right…I can't die here! Not without letting him grant me death!'_ Spear thought strongly. Her inner fire was lit and she let out a loud voice. "ARIA! DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT THING!"

Kurome and Aria were surprised by the outburst. The former was already close to Spear with her blade just inches close to tear into the girl's body. But the seconds distraction was what Spear needed and made her turn the balance of the battle to her favor.

Spear marched her right foot on the ground to regain balance and moved her body to the right just in time. Kurome's blade grazed through her cloth and left a tear, but she didn't care. Kurome was in her sight and unable to change her course. The timing then became was for Spear when the black haired girl turned to her.

"I CAN'T DIE HERE!" Spear screamed. With that, she turned and punched right down on Kurome's face.

The blow was very effective. All of her emotions and strength were carried into that one fist that made contact with Kurome. The Imperial Arms user wasn't able to withstand the punch at all. As such she was hit with its full blunt and knocked to the ground which then cracked.

"S-So cool." Aria said in astonishment.

Kurome lay on the ground defeated. Aria was unable to come to terms with it until she saw Spear stand up straight and smirk. Immediately, she cheered for her and called out her name. Spear was happy about that and hit her fist to her chest proudly.

"That's what it means to live for someone." She said proudly.

The sound of a gunshot ruined it. It echoed through the air and caught the attention of everyone in the area. That meant Fourarms and Aria watched as a bullet went through Spear before her body hit the ground bleeding.

"SPEAR!" Both Fourarms and Aria screamed in shock.

Doya put her pistols back in their respective places at her hips. The shot had been cleaned as she had seen it. As for her master, she stood back up like nothing happened. The only difference was that her body had a pink aura which then died down.

"That was unexpected. I went too easy just to test that thing out." Kurome said with a serious look on her face. She then looked down at Spear's body. "You were a tough one. I don't think I've met anyone who could take on four of my puppets and face me singlehandedly. You'll make a worthy addition."

Aria was speechless, with the same for Fourarms. The alien hero tried to intervene, but was obstructed by Grand Chariot at every turn. Meanwhile, Kurome picked up her katana and raised it over Spear to kill her.

"How…" Aria asked in fear. Her body couldn't stop trembling as she eyed Kurome. "Spear beat you…Just how did you walk out of that?"

Kurome paused and just blinked at her. She wasn't much of a conversation person, especially to girls like Aria. But the fact she moved her head gave Aria the chance to see a familiar pink seal on the girl's neck.

' _That seal is the same as the one Ben's grandmother gave to Tatsumi, Leone and Akame. Don't tell me that Sunny is involved with this.'_ Aria thought.

Kurome went back to her focus. She gripped her katana and sent it straight down for the bleeding Spear. Aria couldn't let it happen though, and decided to intervene. The Teigu, Scream, was quickly in her hand and she played a song.

Scream came with many functions depending on the music that was played in it. As for Aria, the one she played was a lullaby she remembered long ago. It had dangerous effect on Kurome and Grand Chariot, as both of them heard it and staggered to stay awake. Kurome lost grip of her katana and fell on her knees.

"What's…going on?" Grand Chariot asked confused. He fell on his knees despite his struggle. "My body is…feeling weak."

"That tone…" Fourarms muttered and realized who it was coming from. His eyes widened and he ran over to Aria. "Aria, you've got to stop! She's –"

He was too late. Harsh cold and icy wind suddenly blew through the street. The clouds changed and the atmosphere became freezing to stay in. Aria was interrupted from her melody as the cold slammed on her and shaken her.

Fourarms was also affected. His thick body could feel the cold in that moment. Already, he could sense the one who was the cause of it, and turned to face her. Esdeath, the ice general of the Imperial Army, was approaching them.

"When Kurome told me about their location through the psychic connection with Sunny, I thought this would be a perfect moment to witness their full potential and Sunny's enhancement power." Esdeath said casually. "But…" Her tone changed into an angry one. "imagine my surprise to see one of my dead men's weapon which I bestowed upon to him being used by such a weak girl."

Fourarms turned back to Aria. **"Go now! I'll hold her off!"** He shouted.

"B-But what about you?!" Aria asked.

" **I'll be fine! Now run!"** Fourarms stated and slammed his hand on the Ultimatrix symbol. The light died down and revealed his new alien form. **"CANNONBOLT!"**

Cannonbolt didn't stop there though. He slammed his hand on the device's symbol again and caused four spikes to form. He was then engulfed by a wave of light that changed his color and armor.

" **ULTIMATE CANNONBOLT!"**

Aria made her move and ran away. Meanwhile, the ultimate alien curled into his ball form and went straight for Esdeath. He built up speed to slam the woman and give Aria much time. However, Esdeath effortlessly caused a pillar of ice to appear underneath the ultimate alien and send him flying up.

" **What the – She can do that?!"** Ultimate Cannonbolt was surprised.

His body crashed into a shop right next to Spear's body. There were two flashes of light from the debris before the whole place became quiet. Esdeath focused her next move on Aria's feet and covered them in ice. Ben in his normal form emerged out of the remains of the building and groaned.

"Just great…Stupid watch changed me back before I could do something." He said and lifted his hands to his chest level to use the Ultimatrix again. "Ultimate Big Chill should be able to handle this. Don't fail me now, Ultimatrix."

The Ultimatrix was suddenly covered in ice. Ben was surprised by it until he saw Esdeath approaching him.

"That's quite enough." Esdeath said strongly. "I froze your Teigu here because I don't want to hurt you. Don't force me to knock you out."

Ben was taken aback. With the Ultimatrix frozen, he couldn't do anything but watch as Kurome and Grand Chariot get back on their feet. Esdeath had won the fight without trying so much to do so. Worse of all, Spear was bleeding to death and Aria was held back from running away.

Just then, someone landed into the middle. Her intervention surprised Esdeath, Grand Chariot and Kurome, but not enough to make them back away. Eunice revealed herself of being the cause of it when the dust cloud cleared.

Esdeath was immediately reminded of the last time she met Eunice. It was back at the invasion of the Imperial Castle when the girl came to save Ben. The memory sparked something in Esdeath and made her to draw out her sword and send an ice-covered slash at her.

Eunice responded by punching it. The impact caused a strong explosion that created a dust cloud. When it all died down, Ben and Spear's body was gone.

"He evades me…just like before." Esdeath said and looked over at Aria. "But…he left his little pet behind."

She walked over to Aria with a strict look on her face. Meanwhile, Grand Chariot joined Kurome and powered down.

"What now?" Wave asked. "Should we start looking for them?"

"No." Esdeath answered. "Ben Tennyson and the organic Imperial Arms may have eluded us, but it won't be for long before we meet them again. The tides are in our favor and it's our time to send it washing on them and Night Raid."

Aria felt the ice holding her feet break apart. She then tried to running away from Esdeath as fast as she could. However, her attempt ended in failure when Esdeath caught her by the hair and lifted her off the ground.

"T-That hurts." Aria cried out in pain.

"You think that's painful?" Esdeath asked and made her turn to her. The glare from her cold and deadly eyes was enough to frighten Aria. "You don't know the first thing about pain. But don't worry. I'll be certain to teach you every bit of it."

Before Aria knew it, she was punched in the gut. Esdeath's fist was dug and heard the loud grunt from the blonde. It wasn't long before Aria blacked out and let Scream hit the ground.

"Take this filth to the Imperial Castle's dungeon!" Esdeath stated and threw Aria's body to Kurome and Wave's feet. "The Emperor would want to hear about this one. From there we shall get all the answers we need to find and track down Ben Tennyson and Night Raid."

Wave carried Aria's body and placed it on his shoulder. He tried to hide his disgust at the thought of carrying a known murderer on his shoulder. Kurome followed him as he walked away with the unconscious body.

Scream was still lying on the ground when Esdeath decided to pick it up. She took a look at its body and smiled a bit. The image of a young blonde boy she knew came to mind.

"Welcome back, Nyau." She said.

_(CHAPTER END)_

 **Yup, that's where this chapter ends. Ben and Spear have been rescued, but with the cost of Aria being taken captive. Will they be able to save her before it's too late? Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Now I know some of you may be surprised that Spear was able to keep fighting despite the injuries that she went through. That's because she's a graduate (in this fanfiction) of the Imperial Fist. I also think it's because of her previous experience with Nyau and her commitment to Ben that she was able to keep fighting. That doesn't mean she can take on Kurome's puppets again. Kurome was taking it easy on her because she was ordered to test out Sunny's regenerative power on her body. If Spear faces Kurome alone again, she'll certainly die.**

 **Well that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading this chapter. If you liked it, please favorite and follow this fanfiction. Also do not forget to review. Hearing you guys thoughts helps me update and improve as a writer. Bye!**


	36. The Irredeemable Ones

**What's up, you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day. Welcome back to "Corruption, Murder and Redemption?" Happy New Year! (I know this is late to say, but it's still January of 2019, so...)**

 **You may notice when reading this chapter that there's something different with it. Well that's probably because I'm typing this on my phone. This isn't a first time for me doing this. I did it with a fanfic a few years ago. My laptop is kind of bad, so I'm forced to do this on my phone until sometime next month.**

 **Anyway, to the guys that PM (Private Message) me to know what would happen to Aria, and really what happens next, I had to push that to another chapter since I want to cover a few things that'd be hinted in this chapter.**

 **Well enough about that. Let's just jump right into it.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS HERE. ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?!**

 **CHAPTER 36: The Irredeemable Ones**

Five days has passed since Aria was captured by Esdeath and her team, two days she had been subjected to many tortures. Esdeath and Honest wanted their questions answered. Where is the hideout of Night Raid? Where is Ben Tennyson? And other important information on their enemies.

Aria refused each time to answer, resisting pain from the cuts the torture men made on her body, the burns they applied to delicate parts of her body, and blows they inflicted on her. They tried every way to make her talk, and failed. The only sounds that came out of her were the screams of pain she endured. Despite her small body, she was more strong minded than any man or woman that has been tortured, even Esdeath was impressed.

"I don't know what to make of you." Esdeath said, standing in front of the beaten up Aria in her cell. It was night time, and the only source of light was from the full moon illuminating from a small window.

Esdeath continued. "Your body is weak, and yet your mind is...strong? No, that's not something you have."

Aria said nothing to her, the silence being the only form of resistance against the woman known for her countless ways to break a person physically and mentally. The skill was useful against the most formidable person, and so she squat down with an amused smile and used her fingers under the girl's chin to make her face her.

"No, those dead eyes, I see them now." Esdeath said amusingly. "You're not trying to resist, you've already given up on yourself. Let me guess, you want us to kill you."

Aria removed her head from Esdeath's small grasp and looked back at the floor. Esdeath had her answer by that action and stood up straight.

"Sunny, you may come in now." She said.

Aria's eyes widened in shock. Last time she saw Sunny was when the Anodite almost killed most of Night Raid's members, including Bulat and Ieyasu when they were alive. The destructibe power she displayed when she fought Ben was terrifying to see; Aria hoped to never meet the girl in her life.

But Esdeath, whether she knew her fears or not, stepped aside as Sunny walked over to Aria, her shoes' echoing in such a way that each step scared Aria. Even when she stopped wasn't enough to stop her fast beating heart, because now she stood a few meters away from her with a grin on her face.

"Poor thing, just look at you." Sunny said, referring to Aria's body. Because of the many things the blonde went through, she was left in her underwear, forced to show the dying blood on her body and the fresh scars.

"Please… No." Aria pleaded. Her body was too weak, as her arms and legs were held back by chains.

Sunny's grin widened in response, feeling the urge immediately to see more of that fear on the blonde's face. But she knew the limits set by Esdeath, and so she knelt down and held both sides of Aria's head with her hands.

"You know, you probably shouldn't have said that, because now…" She forced the terrified girl to look into her eyes. "Because now I want to hear you scream."

Aria screamed, before she was sent back to an environment she was familiar with, and dreaded when she looked around. Gone were the chains on her, and on her was her dress which she had used for quite sometime, but the place she was in brought back many memories.

"No…It can't be." Aria muttered, stepping back.

She was back at her parents's mansion, specifically in front of the shed where she used to torture and kill many men, women and children that came from the countryside. The last time she was there, she had set the mansion and the shed into flames as a mark of a new beginning to her new life. But everything was like it was that terrible night when Ben had saved her from Tatsumi's blade.

Before she could comprehend, however, an arrow flew through the air and went through her ankle. Aria cried out in pain and fell to the ground, feeling the pain as blood leaked out.

She was crying so much in pain that she didn't notice the owner of the arrow coming to her until she was right in front of her.

"Wait… I know you. You're - "

Aria was cut off when Sayo shot another arrow right through her forehead and she died.

However, her life didn't end there; rather, she found herself standing back at the same time, shocked and breathing hard at the trauma she just witnessed and experienced.

"What the hell just happen?! Did I just...die…?"

Her question wasn't answered though, because of another 'visitor'. Unlike Sayo, he landed on the ground in front of Aria, his face not revealed until he looked straight at her and gripped the axe in her hand.

"I-Ieyasu…" Looking at his scowl on his face, she knew something terrible was about to happen. "Wait, let's talk this through."

Ieyasu either ignored her or didn't listen; he ran straight at her with his axe ready for a clean cut. Aria knew better than to wait and let herself be killed again, thus she turned away and ran for her life.

'I don't understand! Why is this happening?! Ieyasu… I thought he was dead! Why is Ieyasu and Sayo alive?!'

As much as she tried to think about it, her situation made less sense the longer. Maybe it was because Ieyasu was picking up pace and she was about to be caught by him. The scene scared her more, and so she turned back to him just when he finally reached her.

"Wait, Ieyasu, let me -"

Ieyasu cut her off by literally cutting off her right arm. Blood shot out like a fountain, which in turn caused the blonde to scream in pain as that arm hit the ground a few meters away.

Seeing that she couldn't reason with, plus being scared for her life, she ran off again, hoping for a bit that someone could save her.

"Help! Help! Someone…Ben, please save -"

She was cut off again, this time at her legs. Ieyasu's blade flew through the air and flawlessly cut both of her legs off in such a way that Aria could only cry out in agonising pain as she fell to the ground. With both her legs gone, blood poured out like a stream, soaking her dress and making her looking pitiful as tears leaked out from her eyes.

"No...No, I don't want to die again! Please! Someone save me!" She cried, but went unheard.

Ieyasu wasn't done with her done, especially when he jumped up into the air and raised his axe above his head. When Aria noticed a shadow growing on top of her, she terrifyingly used her remaining arm to push herself onto to her back, soaking her dress more in her blood.

"Ieyasu, wait -"

The spiky-head boy finished her off when he came down on her body, not only stepping on her stomach, but using his axe to cut through her skull.

Aria cried out loud and fell on her knees with her breathing fast and hard. She was back at the same moment before Sayo and Ieyasu had killed it. However, the trauma from both deaths were showing on her face and her weak knees that caused her to fall to her knees.

Crying bitterly, Aria wrapped her arms over her body, breathing heavily as the tears continued to flow. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time before she'll lose her mind and fall closer to a numb state similar to being dead.

"Ben...Help me…" she whispered.

"Aria…" said a familiar voice.

She recognized that voice, and found some relief. Looking back, she saw Tatsumi standing a few feet from her with a confused look on his face. She may've not gotten along with him sometimes, but since she and Ben were allowed to stay with Night Raid, he seemed like the one person that wasn't after her life anymore.

"Tatsumi…" She smiled and stood up. Cleaning off her tears, she showed the relief in her eyes and said. "I'm so glad that you're here. I...I don't know why I'm here. Where's Ben?"

"Ben…?" He paused and drew out the sword of Incursio. "He isn't here to stop me...not this time."

Aria's fears picked up, and she took a frightened step back from him. The aura coming from him could only be described with one word: Bloodlust.

"INCURSIO!" Tatsumi struck the ground and was encased in the Teigu armor.

Aria knew her fate was sealed when the transformation was complete. Before she could utter a plea for her life, Tatsumi's spear appeared in his hand, and he leapt straight at her, ready to strike her. He succeeded, as the blade drove through her stomach, causing her to cough out blood, with much worse to come.

Tatsumi ran forward with Aria still in the grasp of his blade, the gap occupied by it only widening as his speed increased. Blood kept gushing out of her mouth, making it hard for her to speak, until he used her body as a ram to break through the shed's doors open, and she hit the ground hard.

If there was a way for her to escape this experience alive, it would be impossible. Not only was her bones likely broken from breaking through the hard doors, she was lying in a rising pool of her own blood. She looked dead in front of any eyes, and as blood covered her lips, her eyes stared at the ceiling.

Her experience didn't end there, however, because of two arrows. They were sent right through her wrists, securing her to the floor, but causing her to let out a rough cry. It reawakened her her dying consciousness back to the present and forced her to see Ieyasu standing over her with his hands holding his axe above his head.

"Now do you understand, Aria?" Tatsumi said, walking next to Sayo. Though his face was covered in an armor, the despise he held for Aria was obvious in his voice. "It downright pisses me off that you outlived the very people you put in this place, and now...you will experience every bit of pain you caused them."

To prove her point, many familiar faces to Aria stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to her, much to her shock.

 _'These people...I know them. They're - '_ Aria wasn't able to finish. She coughed out some blood, which just made it harder for her to breath.

"These are the people you and your family murdered, Aria, and now…" Tatsumi paused and pointed his weapon at her. "They will have the pleasure of treating you the same way you killed them."

Few minutes later, Aria was pulled up to the air by a chain tied around her arms. The chains kept her secured, but also put her in a harder position as blood kept gushing out of her body in front of everyone watching.

"You wanted to die, right? You thought it'd be enough to atone for your sins, but you failed to realize one thing. There's no atonement for people like you. Now, stay there and get everything you deserve."

If Aria could speak, she would've done it since. But her bloody state left her with nothing but the sight of her victims, numbering in the hundreds, from inside the shed and standing outside, waiting their turn.

* * *

Sunny was very amused by the scene she was seeing through Aria's eyes. In the physical world, the girl was the same as she was before, except she was breathing hard, crying and thrashing her body from left to right. The chain holding her arms restricted her movement, while also giving Esdeath and Sunny a fun show.

"I must say that your Teigu has reached places where even I haven't considered it could venture." Esdeath said, staring at Aria's traumatized behavior. "But...I must hand it to you, Sunny. You never cease to amaze me. What did you do?"

"I'm giving a criminal like her what she truly deserves." Sunny's malicious grin widened. "If she thought dying would be easy, wait until she she experienced it a hundred times over."

"I'll like to see that." Esdeath's smile disappeared and turned away. "But...I'll have to put an end to it soon. The emperor wishes to put her on trial before him since she's technically a noblewoman."

"So I should end it here? That's a bummer." Sunny was disappointed.

Esdeath smirked, and she turned her head back at Sunny. "I didn't say it has to be now. Tell me, just how long till she loses her mind completely?"

"I say twenty minutes tops." Sunny grinned.

"Then you better let those minutes count." With that, the ice general walked out of the cell, leaving Sunny to do whatever she wished to Aria.

* * *

Spear lay on a medical bed, a heart monitor right next to her as the beeps from it was the only sound in the room.

The room she was in was similar to many medical rooms back in Plumber HQ on Ben's earth. The walls were white, medical supplies were present, and there were beds for other people if more people were hurt.

Ever since her battle with Kurome, the Imperial Fist graduate hadn't woken up. Ben was worried for her health, and was even standing by the doorway watching her bandaged body.

 _'Why? Why did this have to happen to her…? To them?!'_ Ben angrily thought and gritted in teeth. _'This is my fault! I knew the empire would go after us, but I thought I could handle it! But to think that E new team of Esdeath's is that strong, I never expected it! Right now, there's no way I can have a team with them around!_ "

"Ben…" Eunice called from behind. He responded by looking back, just in time to see the look he has been hoping to see from her for a long time. She said it herself. "It's ready now."

"It's about time." Ben replied with a serious face. On a small sense of instinct, he rubbed his wrist, the same place where the Ultimatrix should be.

After their battle with Esdeath, Eunice had taken Spear and Ben to a large airship similar to the one from the Secret Saturdays; however, the color scheme was green and black. As for the Ultimatrix, it took sometime before the alien device was removed from Ben's wrist so it could be freed from Esdeath's ice.

Ben wanted to go and save Aria, knowing that whatever she was going through in the Imperial Castle was worse than he could imagine, but he knew better. The Ultimatrix was the only way he could save her, thus he waited for it to be freed in the lab all this time.

The ship's lab was huge in size, resembling one of the most technologically advanced places in their world, though in this world it was the most advanced place. The Ultimatrix was on a platform made for it, covered in a glass dome until Eunice approached it and she took it in her hand.

"Good as new." She said and turned back to Ben. "Esdeath's ice blocked the Ultimatrix from basic functions. Any mistake could've caused the Ultimatrix's fail-safe to activate and...well, you know how that went with your adventure to find Azmuth."

"I do. Now hand it to me. I have to burst Aria out of there." Ben told her with a serious face.

"No." Eunice refused. To emphasize her stance, she held the device behind her back. "You and Spear were lucky I was able to pick up the Ultimatrix's distress signal before Esdeath captured the both of you. If I let you take the Ultimatrix and run off to the Imperial Castle, you certainly won't make it out with Aria."

"Yes, I would!" Ben retorted.

"No, you won't!" Eunice fired back. "This is what Azmuth tries to correct you! Sometimes you just do things without taking the time to analyze it! Sure, sometimes you do think things through, but not now! We don't even know the full Teigu power of Esdeath's new team or their trump cards! What if Esdeath holds Aria hostage!? She'll destroy the Ultimatrix once you just change back, and it'll be you that'll need saving!"

Ben opened his mouth to disagree, to tell Eunice that she was wrong, and that he could handle it by himself. But he knew she was right, thus he frowned with guilt and said. "You're right."

Eunice's anger dropped, and she felt sad for her friend. She knew how kind-hearted Ben was, and knew just as much as his friends back home that he only wanted to do the right thing. However, they were in another world much harsher than their own, so there was no way she was going to risk their lives.

As a comfort to Ben, she went closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know these past few days has been very rough for you." She said with sympathy. "Not only has Spear not woken up, but Night Raid doesn't trust you enough to know their new hideout."

"Yeah, I can't blame them." Ben acknowledged. "Once Lubbock reported what happened, Akame was so angry that she blamed me right in my face for endangering everyone. I doubt even Leone and Tatsumi will look at me in a good way when we meet again."

"I don't know about that. But…" Eunice smiled a bit. "I know someone who looks up to you even after that. Come with me."

Ben was confused, but did as he was told. The spaceship was huge in size, built with so many rooms that some of them were currently unoccupied. It took sometime before they made it to the 'living room', and Ben was surprised by who was there.

"Hello, Ben." Sheele said and smiled sweetly.

"Sheele, you're here. How?" Ben asked with a confused look on his face.

The purple-haired girl looked away, clearly saddened by something. "I...I left Night Raid...for good." Then she looked back at him with a small smile. "Do you still have a place for me in your new team?"

"I...I don't know…" Ben hesitated.

He was trying to mentally grasp Sheele's presence and the question she asked. If she had come prior to the incident with Esdeath, he would've accepted her with a bit of sympathy for her. He knew the closeness she had with Night Raid and was certain that the departure was hard on them too. He just couldn't accept her after everything that happened.

Eunice knew better though, and decided to do something about him. She carried the Ultimatrix to him. "Ben, you need this, and you need her and everyone that's offering their help to you. Just because of what happened to Aria and Spear doesn't mean you should be afraid to let others help you."

"I think she's right." Sheele agreed. "I think I understand how you feel. You think that you've let everyone down, and now you want to show everyone that you can be useful. I thought the same until the night Ieyasu died, almost to the point that I began to feel I was more of a burden to everyone after that. But...you showed me that despite that I couldn't use my legs, that despite I couldn't be alongside my friends to fact, I could still make myself helpful to not just everyone, but myself. For that I say thank you."

She ended her speech with a respective bow to the teen hero. Ben was surprised and impressed by Sheele's behavior. It snapped him out of his uncertainty, before he made a decision of his own by taking the Ultimatrix from Eunice's hand.

"I've been worried over what happened. With Ieyasu gone, and Aria and Spear in trouble with that battle, I feel like I keep failing. But not here…" He secured the alien device on his wrist, and added. "I'm going to keep fighting, that is if you and Eunice are willing to accept me."

"I will, Ben." Sheele nodded with certainty in her eyes.

"You can count me in." Eunice smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "We both know you need my help if something bad happens to the Ultimatrix. Besides, Gwen and Kevin would worry sick if I left you alone."

Ben laughed a bit and smiled back on her. At the same time, the Ultimatrix's symbol light up, and the computerized face said. **"All Systems checked and ready for regular operations."**

"Your Ultimatrix can talk?" Sheele asked with a surprised look on her face.

"It can do that, and do a whole lot more." He then smirked and added. "Stick around and I think you'll get to see some of the things I mean."

"I will."

"What about me, master?" asked a familiar voice.

Eunice, Sheele and Ben turned to the source of the voice, and found it to be Spear heading to the teen hero. She was wearing the same bandages as she did in the medical bay, and a cloth around her waist that kind of stood out. She didn't care about her looks though; she was already staring at him seriously.

"Do not keep me out of this, I beg you! Aria was my responsibility, and she is my student! Let me fight alongside you and rescue her!" She persisted.

Ben looked at Eunice with uncertainty. "Eunice...um, is she good to go?" He asked.

"Give her a few hours, and she'll be alright." Eunice answered and wrapped her around over her chest. "As it stands now, this ship has the most technologically advanced devices and medicines this world has never seen. It's a good thing Azmuth was able to smuggle it in without getting caught in the Multiverse War."

"Multiverse War?" Spear asked. The same question was also something that confused Sheele too.

"We'll explain it later. Right now we should get ready." Ben then grinned. "We're getting Aria out of there - "

"Tomorrow night." Eunice cut him off. Knowing he would be confused by her interruption, she turned to him. "What? Spear needs to rest, plus she doesn't have a Teigu. You saw the fight, she didn't stand much of a chance with that Teigu user. I don't even think that girl was going all out on her."

"She's right." Spear agreed and placed her hand on her stomach, the area where Kurome's puppet had shot a bullet through. On her face was an expression of disappointment and frustration. "To beat a Teigu user, you must have a Teigu...or in your case, a weapon that surpasses them. As of now, I have no way to fight them, especially as my weapon was destroyed in the battle."

"I know that." Ben told her, but unwilling to prolong the rescue mission. "We shouldn't forget that Aria must be going through hell right now. We can't let her stay there any longer."

"Ben, I'm aware of that. I think everyone here is also aware of it." Eunice informed him deeply. "But we also can't jump into a battle unprepared. It's bad enough that Sunny is there, just imagine the new forces behind those walls."

Ben slumped his shoulders down in defeat and frowned. Things weren't going his way, and as much as he understood the reasons, it didn't make him feel any better.

Eunice understood his pain, knowing that he felt responsible for what happened with Aria and Spear. While the latter was safe with them, the former was behind the enemies' walls and going through what they probably couldn't imagine. She could've tried to save Aria those days ago; however, with Esdeath in there, and she (Eunice) having only Leone's Teigu power at the time, she knew she didn't have a chance against Esdeath.

With that thought, she thought it was right to disclose a piece of information she purposefully held back to comfort them. She meant this particularly to Ben, not hesitating to tell him.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll ask our spy to check up on her." She revealed.

Everyone turned to her, confused and reasonably surprised at the information.

"We have a spy?" Sheele asked the question on their minds.

* * *

Aria was breathing heavily, the stink of her cell being too much to handle for the small-minded. Hours had passed since her mental torture came to an end, and with that a bit of relief to her gradual crumbling mental walls.

As far as Aria knew, the time was sometime in the day, and she has survived something most people likely wouldn't. Seeing those familiar faces of her past kill her constantly, only for her to be revived to experience more of it was sickening. Ironically, it wasn't the stink of her own drying blood or the sweat that made her feel this way.

"Wow, they sure did a number on you. So horrible." said a sympathetic voice.

Aria was surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice. She looked around, only aware that it sounded like it came from her own cell. The guards posted at the cell's entrance were unaware, and so she sighed and bowed her head.

"Great...I'm going insane now. It wouldn't be the first…" She muttered to herself.

"No, you're not insane."

Before Aria knew, a muddy brown hand covered her mouth, shocking her and startling her in the process. Whoever that was keeping her quiet was behind her, before reaching her lips to the blonde's ear to talk to her.

"Calm down or else they'll find out. I'm with Ben and the others." She said to her.

Hearing the name of the boy who saved her in the past widened her eyes. It was even enough to stop her struggling, but kind of suspicious as she waited for her supposed assailant to release her mouth. It was really the only thing she could move on her own will.

"We're good, right?" She asked before surprising Aria even more.

Despite not getting any response from her, the unknown person went ahead to go over her in the form of purple and brown mud and reconstruct her body into that of a girl with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and held back by a headband. She wore a black sleeved dress with a star on the middle, white socks that went past her knee and red and black shoes.

"Hi, I'm Lucy Mann, and I hear that you're Aria Goodricke." She reached her hand out to Aria for a handshake. "Don't worry, I'm one of the good cousin from Ben's family."

Aria stared at the girl's hand, and then back at her face. To show what was wrong with her gesturing, she moved the chain holding back her right hand.

"Oh right, you're chained up. Sorry." With that, she sheepishly squat to her level and said. "I wish I could get you out of here, but I'm not strong enough to take on bad guys like Esdeath. My species are very weak against ice and fire."

"You're...an alien?" Aria said the first word since meeting her. The look on her face showed her surprise, which Lucy couldn't blame her.

Though Aria has seen Ben in action more than once, never had she met an actual alien that had nothing to do with being human. If she wasn't chained up and immorally dealt with, she might have said more.

"Yep." Lucy confirmed with a bright smile and nodded. "But don't count Ben turning into my species anytime soon." She then changed the subject. "Anyway, Eunice told me to go check up on you and update you about everything. Ben's fine, and so is the Ultimatrix and Spear. A girl named Sheele has left Night Raid and has joined his team. They're hoping to get Spear a Teigu or some weapon so they can start planning on a rescue mission to save you."

"Really?" Aria's face brightened up. After all these time, she almost couldn't believe her luck. But her mind flashed back to her sins, and so she frowned and bowed her head. "No, they shouldn't. I'm not worth it."

"Don't say that. It's the torture that's talking." Lucy tried to convince her.

Their moment was interrupted when footsteps were heard, followed by a door opening and more footsteps. Knowing who it might be, Lucy looked back to Aria with an urgent thing to say.

"We'll finish this discussion later. Looks like someone is coming. Try to stay sane until then. Bye." With that, she made her body into mud and went through a crack in the wall behind Aria.

"So that's how she made it here." Aria said, looking at the place the other blonde girl had escaped through.

Her attention was drawn to a certain woman when came in, but with two young girls in maid clothing. In her hand was a towel, as those maids went over to Aria's sides and used the keys with them to free her from her chains.

"Wear this." Esdeath said and threw it onto the teenage girl. "Time to have you freshen up to meet His Majesty."

"The Emperor?" Aria was shocked to hear.

"That is correct." Esdeath turned halfway to leave. "I'd advise that you get your testimony ready, not that it'd matter at all. Your life will really just be in the hands of the Prime Minister, and we both know where that'll lead you."

Aria couldn't utter a word, her body too scared to say anything at all. She knew the Prime Minister, and has seen him in some parties during her times as a noble. Back then she was able to enjoy the status of her parents, and in a way protection from any persecution from the Imperial government. But those times we've over, along with the immunity she enjoyed and any status she held. Whether she liked it or not, she'd be facing a trial for formality in front of the emperor.

* * *

The empire was very expansive due to centuries of wars and victories it achieved to reach where it was today. Many of them were tribes that have long existed, including various communities and villages that were old depending on their individual origin.

Among them was a small village that had been troubled by a group of bandits that have troubled them for so long. The villagers saw them as nothing but trouble for their economy, and that of their own women and children who, depending on the bandits' requests, we're violated in ways no one would dare to mention.

However, the day had come that a trio of heroes arrived to their poor village to deal with the bandits who really were more like monsters than your average bandits. The heroes agreed to help them, and soon they stood at the gate of the village, waiting for the bandits to arrive.

"How long are they going to take? I thought they usually show up at this time and day." asked one guy.

His name was Samson, a guy with spiky black hair, green eyes, and wearing a white shirt with small shoulder armor, and black pants and nice shoes. He possessed a twin blade weapon and held them in his hands.

"Be patient, my friend." said the leader of the group.

He wore a green and blue kimono, had his hair tied back to form a small ponytail, and possessed a long sword.

"Nuatsu is right." The girl of the group agreed. She was also the shortest of them and wore leather female armor, with her weapon being a wooden staff.

Before Samson could say a word, the air suddenly felt quiet, and soon they heard footsteps coming their way. The bandits were coming, a bit late, but approaching the village to cause another doom and gloom to the inhabitants of the poor place.

The heroes weren't going to let it happen though, so they went into fighting position and let the bandits approach them for a battle that'll likely appen.

Shura was intrigued by the appearance. Having come back from one of their little 'adventures', he and his group, the Wild Hunt, were on their way to meet with the village chief to have them compensate for the 'protection' they 'offered' to them. It was unfortunate, however, that there was a slight obstruction in their way.

"Are the weapons necessary? I see that old fart went ahead to call in some help." Syura said and pushed his hood down. "And here I came to take our compensation for protecting his little village."

"Protecting?! Don't make us laugh!" Nuatsu, the leader said, pointing his sword at them. "We have heard about the atrocities you monsters have done! This is the end of your wicked ways! Turn back now and we - "

He was cut off, quiet literally, because Izou, the master swordsman of the Wild Hunt, suddenly appeared next to him and proceeded to slice the head off.

"You...You bastard!" Samson screamed in anger and charged at Izou.

"Samson, stop!" The girl of their group shouted, reaching her hand to him.

She was too late, Nuatsu was on the move when Dorothea leapt to him, only giving him a few seconds to turn his head to see her. The next thing he knew was pain, when Dorothea bite down on his neck so hard that she ripped the flesh off and caused his blood to shoot out into the air.

Samson screamed, panicked and in pain over the attack that seemed so sudden to him. Because of his state, he stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground, where Dorothea approached him, brandishing her bloody fangs.

"Stay away from him!" The girl couldn't let her friend be killed.

Without hesitation, she jumped up in the air, her staff held above her head, and came down for Dorothea. She was getting close, when suddenly Enshin leapt and kneed her at the stomach with so much force that she spat out blood and hit the ground hard.

She gasped for air, wanting to fill in her lungs before she died from lack of air. When she sat up, she was ready to get back on her feet and fight back. But the sight she saw was enough to freeze her in shock and keep her eyes widen.

Her comrade was on the floor dead, the short girl from before drinking some of his blood. Once she was done, she gulped down the last of his blood and smirked devilishly.

"That was refreshing." Dorothea said, and her body was covered in a small aura.

She knew right away that she had to get away, to warn the villagers that the bandits were coming. She wanted to get up and do just that, aware that her failure would lead to the lives of many lost to these people. But her body refused to move, and soon she was lifted off the ground from the neck by Shura himself.

"Wow, that's all you can do? Not much of a fighter, are you?" Syura said with an amused smile and turned back. "Look at them. You know, they're quite lucky to escape this life by a swift death. I can't say the same about you."

Enshin chuckled and picked up her staff from the ground. With a crooked grin on his face, he went over to her and brandished her weapon for her to see.

"I wonder, which end of this weapon will hurt the most when I plug up your holes. Let's find out, shall we?" Enshin licked his lips.

Shura threw her to his feet, causing her to fall on her front, and leaving her backside vulnerable for the worst. With no weapon and her comrades dead, she watched with scared and shaky eyes as Enshin reached down to her and grabbed her leather armor.

"Please...no." She begged, but found it to be in vain.

The once silent moment was destroyed when two rips were heard, followed by a pause and a girl's voice heard afar, causing birds to fly away as she screamed in agony.

* * *

Few hours went by with the villagers witnessing the horror they had dreaded the most for a long time. Many of their homes were engulfed in flames, their women and children dragged off to the center to be violated, and some of the men, mainly the elderly, knelt down and forced to watch as their family were molested and raped before their eyes.

Ironically, the ones that were lucky to escape the horror were the men the Wild Hunt had the pleasure of killing, but this wasn't what the village chief wanted.

Tied to a pole naked, he cried out and pleaded as he saw the big and fat clown, Champ, doing horribly things to the little children, the bunny-ears girl, Cosmina, having her way with the adults, and more of the members besides Syura and Izou doing whatever they wished.

"Mercy! Mercy! Please! No more! We're sorry! Please don't go on with this!" He cried out with tears falling down his wrinkled cheeks.

"Too late, old man." Syura grinned with his arms crossed over his chest. "If I were you, I'd keep quiet and enjoy the show."

"NOOOOO!"

Izou closed his eyes, not because of the screams of women and children being molested or raped, but because he found nothing about the whole thing enjoyable. Unlike his comrades, he was looking forward to a fight, to meet a worthy warrior that would pump the adrenaline in him to the limits and beyond. Having his way with the women wasn't his style, and so he kept quiet while standing some meters away from Syura.

The only reason he found to open his eyes was when he heard a fleeting sound coming his way. He caught between his fingers and brought it to his face, where he then looked at what it was.

"Shura, you may want to see this." He said and extended his hand to the young man.

Syura was partially irritated and at the same time curious at what Izou wanted him to see. Knowing the swordsman, it had to be something important, thus he grabbed the thing and looked at it long enough to identify it.

"A paper plane?" He questioned and opened it. His eyes lay on what was written inside. A minute later he grinned madly and said. "Oh ho. So, Tennyson, that's where you're going. This is quite interesting."

"Do you know who it's from?" Izou asked with curiosity.

"No." Shura crumbled the paper in his hand.

"It could be a trap." Izou suggested suspiciously.

"True, but when has that ever stopped the Wild Hunt?" Syura's grin grew. "Look at it this way, if it's a trap, you'd have the pleasure of dealing with the person behind it."

"And if it isn't?" Izou raised an eyebrow.

"Then we'd finally be able to make Ben Tennyson and his female companions pay." Syura then turned away, watching Enshin going wild with the women. "I wonder...just how much can I drive him insane when I rape those girls right before his eyes? I think I'd go with the one named...Eunice since the letter says she's from his home."

"I don't have any objection to it. As long as I am allowed to participate in the battle, I don't care." Izou stated.

"Good, then we shall head off tonight, after we're exterminating this place from existence."

With that said, their plan was set and would soon be in motion. Ben Tennyson and his team, unaware of the Wild Hunt, will be in for a battle that they'd never forget in their life.

* * *

Eunice suddenly shuddered, and in a show of a terrible feeling, she wrapped her arms to comfort herself and tightened her grip on her muscles. The feeling was too dreadful to describe, like a bad omen that something greatly evil was waiting for her. It was really scary just to think about how such a feeling came across.

"Eunice, are you okay?" Ben asked from his seat.

With a new day had come with a new possibility that the newly formed team was ready to take part in. Spear was in need of a weapon that would have the power to go up against a Teigu, and considering Eunice knew the location of such a weapon, everyone was seated at the cockpit.

Like the Secret Saturday's ship, there were two seats for the drivers, which were Ben and Eunice. Spear sat behind Ben while Sheele did the same for Eunice, though it didn't go without saying that the both of them were bewildered by the entire ship. Never had they seen any technology of this magnitude, nor have the thought of such an airship ever came to their minds before. If it weren't that they were on an urgent matter, they might have questioned about everything they were seeing.

However, the atmosphere seemed worrisome when Eunice had removed her arms from the steering wheel suddenly. If it weren't for Ben taking over from his side, and halting the ship before something bad happened, they would've been in actual trouble.

Eunice understood her action and let out a sigh to calm her mind and body. It allowed the tension to reduce a little, and she held the steering wheel again.

"Sorry, I'm just...I was caught off guard by a strange feeling, like...someone was looking right through my clothes in an...inappropriate way." She confessed.

Spear and Sheele turned over to Ben, staring at him with accusing glares. Ben knew it without looking back; he was the only male in the team, thus he turned to them in his defense, though it didn't hide his uneasiness from the silent accusation.

"Don't look at me. I was looking straight while Eunice was just about to tell us the location of this weapon."

"I'm sorry, Master Tennyson." Spear apologized.

"I'm sorry too." Sheele said too.

"It's fine." Ben turned back to Eunice with concern for her. "Look, I don't know what this feeling is, but you should know better than anyone that I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Thanks." Eunice smiled. She felt relief from those words, and soon had the airship moving.

"So you're gonna tell us about this weapon that you stumbled across?" Ben asked.

"Oh right. Sorry." With that said, she began to explain. "Centuries ago, when the empire was created, a weapon of unknown origin fell from the sky and hit the earth, sending tremors both far and near. I came across it during our stay with Night Raid while looking through some books Najenda kept around."

"And that's what led you to this discovery?" Spear asked.

"Yes." She answered, and then asked the teen hero. "Ben, have you heard about the mystical hammer known as Mjolnir?"

"I think I heard about it." He answered, but with a hint of uncertainity. "Wasn't it something that a god possessed."

"Thor, yes. He was known as the god of thunder from Norse mythology."

"Mythology huh?" Ben sat back on his seat, staring at the ceiling. "I'm guessing this weapon has something to do with him."

"You're right to assume that. The weapon is Mjolnir, at least from the descriptions I gathered." With that said, she went on to the important part. "We're going to its known location, a cave called 'The Cave of Worthiness'."

"'The Cave of Worthiness'?" Ben sat up, curious at the name. "Weird name, don't you think?"

"No, if anything it makes sense because of its nature." Eunice then went into detail. "While hammer is powerful, it doesn't allow anyone to just pick it up. According to the writing on it, only a person who is worthy can lift it from where it lies."

"Kind of like Excalibur." Ben compared, remembering the ancient sword he, Rook and Kai came across.

"Yes, and no." Eunice disputed easily. "While the sword was meant for the pure hearted, it was flawed because of its definition of a worthy being. Think about it. You saved the earth more than once, sometimes to the point of sacrificing the power to become a god yourself. Does that not make you worthy to wield any powerful weapon?"

"Hmm, you've made a point. I should tell Kai the next time I see her." Ben couldn't help but smirk at the thought of telling off Kai about the sword.

Has aware that Eunice was up to date with his adventures because of the Ultimatrix sending information back to Azmuth on Galvan Prime. The information were only limited to events that were deemed important, thus Azmuth was unaware of some conversation he had and other moments he was glad the creator of the Omnitrix didn't know.

"Wait, we're getting this thing for Spear, right?" The thought had come to the teen hero. "If that's so, how are we sure that she'll be worthy to have it."

"I've done a background check on Spear, and to my belief, she's worthy to wield that weapon." She then paused and looked up back at Spear. "Just keep in mind that this is just my hypothesis. There's no telling if the hammer would deem you worthy."

"Don't worry about it, Spear." Ben said, looking back at Spear. He knew how emotional Spear can be to please him, so he tried to assure her. "Even if the hammer doesn't accept you, it doesn't mean that you're not worthy to fight alongside us. A stupid sword back in my world didn't think I was the best for it, and I'm the biggest superhero there. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"I guess so." Spear smiled a bit.

She and Sheele have been listening to the conversation, never once trying to question the references they made to past events or the weapon known as Excalibur. So as much as Ben was assuring to her, she wasn't going to accept any unworthiness so easily. Not only was the team counting on her, there was also Aria who was being held back against her will.

"Don't you worry, Master Tennyson. I will not fail you." She said and nodded seriously at him.

"Uh…sure." Ben looked away, uncertain on what to say. "Just don't push yourself like that fight with that little girl."

With that said, the airship went onward, heading to the location of the mystical hammer so that the daughter of the former prime minster can wield it. Sound easy enough, right? No, because, while they may get to their destination, they would encounter a force scarier than most foes they have faced before.

 **-(CHAPTER END)-**

 **That's where I'm stopping for now. This chapter is more of a buildup to the fight in the next chapter, with that also being a buildup to the battle with the Jaegers.**

 **For those of you who only watched the anime, the Wild Hunt are a group of Teigu users formed by Syura, Honest's son, as the secret police of the empire. At this point in the fanfic, they haven't acquired the position that Honest would give them, but at some point we'd get to that.**

 **To be honest, this isn't really their first appearance in this fanfic. They made a cameo/introduction in chapter 27, and since went to ruining other peoples' lives. If you want more information on them either read the manga or check the wiki.**

 **To the guy who guessed that I'm taking part in NYSC (look it up. It was why I was in camp), I'm guessing you're either Nigerian or someone who just happen to have heard of it. Anyway, thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter. I know this may've not been easy to read through. Please review if you enjoyed the chapter, and favorite and follow this fanfic if you haven't. Until the next chapter, have a nice day/night wherever you live.**


	37. The Wild Hunt vs The Emerald Heroes

**Hello, my lovely viewers. It's been months since I updated; sorry about that. I got busy with my jobs and other stories that I kind of just left this fanfic out of the way. Thank you for supporting me, anyway.**

 **Before you start reading the chapter, I should inform you that this is a long chapter. So if you want to enjoy it very well, I'd advice reading it when you're sure you have a lot of free time.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY CARTOON SHOWS (YET!)**

 **Now on with the chapter.**

 **Chapter 37: The Wild Hunt vs The Emerald Heroes**

It was now night. The sky was somewhat cloudy as stars could barely be seen in the sky. Sometime had passed since Ben and his newly growing teammates made it to their destination; The Cave of Worthiness.

In order to save Aria from the grasp of the empire, the team knew they would need to be at their very best to fight and rescue her. So while Sheele, Eunice and Ben were fit for a possible battle with Esdeath and her Jaegers, Spear was weaponless since her battle with Kurome. The team knew they needed her to get a powerful weapon before they could do anything else.

"Here it is." Eunice announced upon the airship making it to the forest. "Not far from here would be the Cave of Worthiness." She added while pointing in the general direction.

"Great." Ben replied and unbuckled himself. "You and Sheele stay here while I escort Spear to the cave."

"You don't need to do that, Master Tennyson. I –"

"No, I've got to go with you." Ben interrupted her, and stood up. "Besides, I bet you getting that awesome weapon would be super cool. There's no way I'm going to miss on that."

"Yes, Master."

Ben walked up to Spear before she stood up. Before they could leave however, Eunice looked back and said. "Don't put too much hope into it Ben. We barely know much about Mjolnir, even with our world's knowledge of it."

"I get it. See you two later."

Ben and Spear then left, leaving Eunice and Sheele to be on the ship. When they made to the front of the cave, there was no sign of the airship, which wasn't so bad. Eunice was cautious in case there's something about Mjolnir that would damage the ship. She wasn't going to take any risk, especially when it was something that Azmuth actually bothered giving to her just so it could assist Ben and her.

"So that's the cave huh." Ben said unimpressed.

The Cave of Worthiness was a normal cave with a big opening. The front of it, by a few meters, lacked grass despite being in the deep part of the forest. So besides those things, there was really noting cool about it.

Spear sighed, and took a step forward. "I guess I'll be going. I'll try not to disappoint you, Master."

"Spear, wait." Ben stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "I know you're feeling pressured about this. You feel you owe it to me and Aria to claim Mjolnir. But I want you to know that it'll be fine no matter what. We'll get Aria out of there no matter what."

"I understand." Spear replied and moved forward. "Thank you, Master Tennyson."

"Uh...yeah..." Ben muttered. "Does she have to keep calling me that though?"

His voice was too low for Spear to hear. He watched as she walked into the cave and sighed when he looked up at the sky. "I guess I just have to wait until she gets back. What can a guy like me do before then?"

"Simple...You die."

Ben barely had enough time to move his head aside when a knife came for it from behind him. The edge of the weapon scratched his neck, but he was quick to respond to that attack. He sent his elbow for the person's stomach, expecting it to hit. However, the person disappeared in a purple light, and reappeared in front of him.

"You!" Ben recognized him.

Shura grinned and did a roundhouse kick at his face. The teen hero would've hit the ground if not for doing a backflip that led him back on his feet. Ben was able to get a good look at the young tanned man in front of him, and scowled.

"You're that guy, the Prime Minister's son."

He remembered the time he battled him and General Budo in the Capital. It was one of the toughest ones he faced since coming to this world. General Budo was one of the strongest in the empire, and with Shura involved in the fight, Ben was glad he won in the end. Luckily, those two were at odds with each other, thus they were unable to actually think of a plan to beat him together.

It also helps now that Shura was alone. Ben knew about his Teigu, Shambahla, and the power that came with it. It looked like another fight was about to begin between them.

"I see you haven't forgotten me. Good. Boys like you have to know your superiors, after all." Shura said proudly.

"Do you always kiss your own ass?" Ben asked rhetorically. He raised the Ultimatrix to his chest level and raised his other hand up. "Forget that I ask. I don't have much time for your kind of stupid, so let's just get to the part where I kick your butt for the second time."

The teen hero slammed his hand on the Ultimatrix, before being engulfed in a flash of light. When the transformation was complete, Ben stood as an alien even Shura was familiar with from their last battle.

" **Kickin Hawk's going to take you on and beat you to a pulp!"** Ben bellowed.

"Hmph, you dare look down on me, boy?!" Shura's grin grew. "Last I checked I took down that overgrown chicken of yours in our fight. Just because the lightning geezer isn't here, doesn't mean you'll have a better chance against me like before."

" **Let's see about that, you spoilt brat!"**

Shura's grin changed to a scowl. "I'm going to make sure that you regret it."

Kickin Hawk showed no real concern for his words. **"The only thing you make me regret is not pounding you into the ground. But don't worry I'll grant that wish tonight. It'll make my second victory over you that much sweeter."**

The both of them charged at each other and made contact with their fists hitting each other. A strong shockwave tore the ground underneath them apart.

Kickin Hawk made the first move by sending his feet up at Shura's face. The Prime Minister's son quickly bent backwards and jumped back to give himself for room. In response, the teen hero made a big leap and spun in the air when he approached the tanned man.

Shura was quick to move out of the way from Kickin Hawk's attack. He was standing at the teen hero's side, when the teen swung his hand to hit him. Shura dodged that easily and responded by punching him at his armpit.

The hit caught Kickin Hawk by surprise and made him groan. He made a full turn for Shura and used his other fist to aim at his face, only to miss when the man dodged it. Shura saw an opening and punched the teen hero at the stomach. The attack was followed by an uppercut, which sent Kickin Hawk flying back.

Good thing Kickin Hawk was very reactive. Before he could hit the ground, he did a backflip and landed on his feet before Shura showed up. The Prime Minister's son appeared in front of him in the air and kicked him at the face. Kickin" Hawk took the hit and responded by swinging a punch for him.

However, the attack never made contact. Shura disappeared in a flash of purple light and caught Kickin Hawk off guard when he reappeared at his right side. Before the hero could respond, he slashed across his waist, causing Kickin Hawk a bit of pain before the man disappeared in the same way while he could.

Kickin Hawk barely had enough time to recover when Shura appeared in front of him with a kick. This time, he was able to grab his ankle and slam him to the ground without any hesitation. The attack caused Shura some pain, as his back felt most of the impact and he cried out in pain.

Unknown to the teen hero that attack only angered Shura more. Though he had his grip on him, Shura was able to disappear again like before and reappear a few meters away. Kickin Hawk was about to engage him, when suddenly a big portal with the ying and yang symbol appeared above him.

" **What? You're gonna pull me to that dimension again? You haven't learned from before, have you?"**

"Fool." Shura said.

"What did you just...AAAAHHHHH!"

Kickin Hawk was hit by a drizzle of red hot lava drops falling like rain. Each were able to penetrate his skin, causing the hero a lot of pain, even as he tried blocking it with his arms. Shura was amazed by his attempts and grinned.

"Somewhere far from the eyes of the empire, there's a place where lava rains down like rain. You're tasting just a bit of that place's strange environment." He said.

" **Damn you!"** Kickin Hawk shouted. His scowl turned into anger as he glared at the amused man. **"Don't think this is over you pitiful coward!"**

Shura was shocked at what happened next. Kickin Hawk, despite his wounds, leapt from the rain and kicked him right at the gut. The Prime Minister's son coughed out blood from that hit before he had been sent flying. The portal from before disappeared, ending that whole painful experience.

However, the kick was made with some sacrifice. Besides the fatigue from the alien hero, he was covered in fresh wounds that were hurting so much. The Ultimatrix had no other choice but to revert the teen back to normal.

Ben fell on to his knees and panted. The lava rain reminded him of that time he fought Diagon. Ultimate Waybig was able to handle what the self-proclaimed god could do to some extent. However, the same couldn't be said about Kickin Hawk, whose endurance was not anywhere close to what that ultimate could take.

"You..." Shura snarled and stood up. "You're just full of surprises. Fighting back when you should've just fallen. I guess I really do have to use them to kill you."

"Them?" Ben asked.

Shura smirked. "Come out. It's time for him to see who we are."

It took only a second before the others showed up. Each member of the Wild Hunt stepped out of the shadows, and revealed themselves. Ben recognized none of them, however when his eyes caught the figure that was Champ, he tensed a bit and gulped down his spit.

' _A-A clown. Why did it have to be a clown?'_ Ben thought.

"Oh? Scared already?" Shura was amused. Though Ben tried to hide his fear, Shura was able to catch the glimpse of it and follow his eyes to Champ. _"Wait, could it be that he's afraid of...?"_

Knowing Ben's fear made the man's grin to turn sinister. He was a professional in striking fear to his enemies and the weak. It was one of the things that made him feel superior to any other person. The fact that Champ's appearance changed Ben's attitude made him realize the exact fear from the teen.

' _This just got interesting...'_ Shura thought. "I would say that it'd be best for introductions, however considering this would be the last night you'll experience; I think that won't be necessary."

"You're still full of yourself huh." Ben replied. He was able to regain his composure. "I think It's about time that I –"

Izou interrupted him before he could finish. Ben barely had enough time to jump back when the man seemingly slashed his sword across his chest. Fortunately, he escaped unharmed and landed on his feet.

' _That guy...I barely saw him coming...'_ Ben thought. _'But it looks like I –'_

Again, he was cut off from finishing his sentence. It was only clear when he noticed, though he was standing safe, his shirt was ripped at different sides. The teen hero was shocked by it, and looked at Izuo, who smug a bit.

"I could've killed you right where you stand. But I've heard quite a lot about you, kid. So try not to disappoint me." He said.

"That was a favorite shirt jerk!" Ben yelled. He grew angry and raised his Ultimatrix's arm to use the alien device. "Just for ruining that, you're going to be first in line for a beat down by..."

He slammed the Ultimatrix's core, and was engulfed by green light. When the transformation ended, Ben was standing as...

" **EYE GUY!"** He announced. **"Let's SEE you get a drop on me again!"**

"I'll take that as a challenge."

With that said, Izuo charged straight at Eye Guy, and closed the distance almost immediately. His presence surprised the alien hero, who quickly brought his arms close and shot lasers from the eyes on his wrist.

Izuo responded by dodging them flawlessly. His focus remained on Eye Guy, which caused the distance between them to shrink, and made Eye Guy resort to his palms. He stretched them forward and shot out green flames at the swordsman.

"Not impressive!" Izou stated and maneuver his way past them.

Eye Guy was trying his best to get a good hit at the swordsman and failing. His kind of speed was something he could only compare to Akame. She was really the only one besides Bulat that gave him a real hard time when they fought.

However, the time to think about that battle wasn't now. Eye Guy was still dealing with Izou, when he made a leap at him with his sword ready to cut off his chest. He would've gotten to his him if not for Eye Guy's grin and stretching his arms apart to reveal a huge eye on his chest.

" **SURPRISE!"** He exclaimed and release a huge green beam.

This attack was the one he hoped to make the hit. Everything else he did prior to the beam was really a distraction. With Izou in the air, there was no way he would be able to dodge it. It was game over for him – at least that's what he thought.

"Impressive, but..." Izou suddenly did a spin to the left, thus dodging the beam. He even went ahead to strike his sword in the beam so it would guide him all the way to Eye Guy. "Not good enough!"

" **Oh yeah?"**

Eye Guy slammed the symbol at his waistline and was engulfed by a flash of green light. Izou was prepared for any physical attack from the hero, thus he wasn't worried. But then he found taken aback when Murk Upchuck was his opponent, and it proceeded to grab his arms and legs and swallow him in.

" **You were saying?"** Upchuck said.

He, however, threw him out when Izou began to struggle in his stomach. The swordsman landed on his feet while covered in Upchuck's green good. He wasn't pleased.

"Y-You ate me!" Izou yelled.

" **What? You say it like It's a bad thing."** Upchuck replied calmly.

Izou growled lowly, before his attitude change. He huffed and smiled and stood up straight. "I don't need to let my temper get the better of me. You're truly what I was hoping for, kid."

" **Uh thanks, weirdo."** Upchuck then slammed the Ultimatrix symbol and stood as Crashhopper. **"How about I knock you out of the park next?"**

"Come at me!" Izou smirked.

Crashhopper leaped from his spot and headed straight for the swordsman. At the same time, the man prepared for his own attack for the hero by gripping his sword by his side. However, he never got to strike the hero thanks to Enshin.

The eagerly psychotic member of the group got between the two just as Crashhopper was approaching. There was no way for the hero to stop his motion in the air. Before he knew it, Enshin slashed the air with a curved blade weapon, which sent a strong air attack that hit him.

The alien hero hit the ground on his back with a pained cry. No way had he expected someone to interject just yet. He was just fortunate that his horn-like head had received the blunt of the attack. If it were the rest of his body, he likely wouldn't have survived.

" **That's gonna leave a mark."** Crashhopper said while trying to stand up.

Enshin grinned madly. "A mark? Kid, that attack was just a light one. my Teigu, Shamshir, will make sure you're nothing but...delicious bug pieces."

He took the crazy glee to say those last three words. Crashhopper responded with obvious disgust on his face while Izou placed his hand on his colleague's shoulder.

"This is my fight, Enshin. Stand aside." He said.

"What?" Enshin questioned, and chuckled when he looked back at him. "Don't hog the pleasure to kill all to yourself, Izou. I want to be a part of it."

Izou was reluctant to accept. The look on his face clearly showed his protest as he glared at him. Shura found it a bit annoying and decided to intervene. He has been watching with the other members of his group.

"Let him, Izou. Everyone will get the chance to enjoy themselves in this battle." He said.

"Fine." Izou replied. "But I claim his head when this is over."

" **Ew."** Now Crashhopper was really disgusted. **"Gotta say, this is not what I expected. But you guys are going down, whether you like it or not."**

"Really? Then show it?!" Enshin responded by excitedly flashing his blade twice in the air.

Crashhopper noticed the attacks were in the form of an X, and decided to react quickly. He jumped up to the air, avoiding the attacks, and slammed the dial on his chest. The Ultimatrix engulfed him in a flash of light before he came back to the ground.

The transformation was blinding and made it impossible for anyone to see what alien he was. Whatever it was, the new body allowed him to go through the earth, leaving a hole in its place and confusing the Wild Hunt.

Enshin laughed. "He ran away?! What a bitch, and here I –"

"Enshin, look out!" Izou warned, but it was too late.

Vines suddenly sprouted from the earth around the psychopath and restrained his arms and legs. Enshin tried to fight back, however he was dragged into the earth, where he was then thrown out a few meters away with a bunch of sand following him.

Shura realized what just happened. "He's in the ground!" He shouted.

The swordsman figured it out, and was prepared. When he sensed a shift in the air, he moved his sword into motion and cut down a bunch of vines that tried to grab him. They kept coming though, as they seem to regenerate just as fast as Izou"s speed.

In the end of it, Izou was the one to succeed. The last of the vines was cut to several pieces before he was given a few seconds to rest. He noticed another shift in the ground, and jumped out of the way just in time for Ben to emerge out as Wildvine.

Both combatants made eye contact before the alien made his move. By sending his hands and some of his vine-like legs into the ground, he sent numerous vines straight for Izou. The swordsman grinned in response and began to slash at them with remarkable speed.

Wildvine was trying his best to reach the man. His vines kept regenerating, thus allowing him to send wave after wave of his vines. None of it seemed to reach the swordsman though. He didn't seem tired at the constant attacks.

Wildvine saw this as a chance and pulled his other hand back. Grabbing one of the black spores on his back, he tightened it in his fist and enlarged it to the size of an ordinary human being. Izou suspected nothing when he sent a punch at him, and soon paid the price.

Izou's instincts were to cut down anything. There was no way he would've expected some bombs in Wildvine's fist. So he slashed at it numerous times and hit the bomb hidden in it. There was an explosion which Izou was caught in the middle and sent flying a few feet back.

The swordsman did a backflip and skidded with his feet when he touched the ground. Wildvine saw that as an opening and jumped straight at him before he could fight back. As a result, the alien hero was able to dive on him and send him into the ground with him.

Moments later, Izou was sent flying out of the earth like Enshin. He was still in the air when Wildvine came out and tried to reach him. The swordsman responded by slashing at any vines the hero attempted to grab him with.

Izou was enjoying his battle. Never had he felt such thrill in a fight before until now. He continued to slash against Wildvine, when suddenly he was grabbed by one of Wildvine's legs from behind and brought through the hole it created just to sneak up on him.

Once again, the swordsman was dragged through the earth until he was brought back to the surface. He saw this as his opportunity to escape, and cut the vine holding him. He would've then landed on his feet if not for Wildvine enlarging his hand and slamming him to the ground.

Izou groaned and tried to move. With his hands restrained, he found it impossible to fight back against the hero's superior strength. Wildvine could hold him there for as long as he wanted, but he needed to end the fight before the rest of the Wild Hunt intervened.

He clutched his hand into a near fist and carried Izou in it. He then lifted him off the ground and slammed his body against a good number of trees. Most of them were knocked down in seconds, with Izou feeling the blunt of the attacks. It was only after hitting another one that Wildvine released him and retracted his hand.

" **That should take him down for the time being."** Wildvine said, and turned to the others. **"Now to deal with the other...oh no."**

Champ stepped away from the others. He was the one between them and Wildvine. For Ben to see one of the things he was scared of, he was unable to move. It was probably because of it that Champ was able to get into a baseball player stand and toss one of the balls floating around him.

"Now it's my turn!" He said.

Wildvine was hit without any attempt by him to dodge and screamed in pain. Fire engulfed him in seconds and began to burn his entire body. He couldn't take it anymore, thus the Ultimatrix reverted him to normal before he hit the ground on his back.

"Oh that was hot...like really raging bonfire hot." Ben groaned, and went back on his feet. "But...I'm still going to kick your butt like your friends."

Shura thought otherwise. He was disappointed by the battle capabilities of his two members, so he decided to get involved. Ben's focus was on Champ, which allowed Shura to appear behind him. Before the hero could use his arms, the man went ahead to grab his Ultimatrix arm and pull it to his back.

Ben yelped and tried to break free. Shura wasn't done with him though. He went ahead to pull on that arm and hit Ben's back with his free hand. The teen hero's arm was dislocated in a second, to which he cried out in pain before being knocked down to the ground on his front.

"I think we've seen enough of your cocky attitude. Time to see you bleed, boy." Shura said menacingly.

Shura's foot was on Ben's back to keep him from moving. At the same time he was holding Ben's dislocated arm. It was a way to keep any possibility for him to reach the Ultimatrix, and now Ben was vulnerable to whatever plans they had for him.

"Get off me creep!" Ben protested.

"Silence!" Shura stomped him foot down on Ben's back. He heard him cry out from the pain, and grinned. "Count yourself lucky that I haven't cut your arm off. I could do it anytime, but I heard that you have some companions."

Ben's eyes widened. He remembered the kind of person Shura was doing their battle in the Capital. He was very threatening, even to the point that he was willing to kill Eunice just to see him suffer.

Ben struggled again. Even though Eunice and Sheele were away, there was still the problem with Spear. If she doesn't claim Mjolnir, there was no way she would be able to fight the Wild Hunt.

"Oh, someone's agitated." Shura was amused. He released Ben's dislocated arm and bent forward to apply more pain on his back. He then grabbed his head and forced his face to the ground. "I think I know why. Don't think we didn't see the former prime minister's daughter walk in that cave."

"You...You stay away from her." Ben groaned angrily.

"I will, but...I can't say the same for Enshin."

As he said that, Enshin stepped out of the woods with Izou next to him. Both of them sustained bruises, but nothing serious for men like them.

"Did you just call my name? Oh?" He smirked when he saw Ben's position. "Looks like the kid has been taken care of."

"I was telling him about the girl just in the cave." Shura said and pointed behind him. "Imagine when she's unable to wield that weapon then. She comes out very disappointed, thinking that maybe her dear 'master' can comfort her for her failure. But then she comes to see you in this position before Enshin takes his time to...have fun with her."

"You bastard!" Ben shouted, and knocked to the dirt again.

"You can imagine it huh! As her clothes and underwear are ripped off her and she pleads for you to save her! But you can't save her, so you get to watch as she's raped beyond what any man could've done! Maybe you might end up feeling turned on by it!"

"L-Like hell I will –"

"I don't know! Underneath those clothes is likely a beautiful body waiting for a man to enjoy it! Maybe I can join in and let you take a part in it later! Doesn't that sound fun?!"

Ben's teeth gritted. He was feeling rage built up in him. Shura was enjoying the effects his taunts were causing the boy. It made him feel excited to make sure they become Ben's reality. He wanted to make sure the kid suffers emotionally and physically before deciding his fate. So if that meant finding the rest of his companions and bringing much suffering on them, he would do it.

But then the young man was taken aback by one thing. There was a flash of white light. He was barely able to turn back and see Sheele with a menacing face, coming for him with her giant scissors open.

If Shura wasted a second, he would've been cut in half. Fortunately for him, he responded quickly and teleported out of the way before Sheele could kill him. He rejoined with the rest of his group, surprised by the presence of the girl.

"You!" Shura yelled. He was angry that his fun was interrupted. "You're from Night Raid! What are you doing here?!"

Sheele responded to him with a ruthless look in her eyes behind her glasses. She went ahead to stand in front of Ben in order to protect him. It was only by that act that Shura realized what was happening.

"Oh, so you know him." Shura smirked evilly. "Now that I look at you, you look quite...interesting than the other girl."

"Looks like I don't have to wait." Enshin chuckled and licked his lips eagerly.

Sheele hid her shudder at their gazes. She knew they were already undressing her with their eyes. She just chose not to react to it, knowing that showing such a thing would be a sign of weakness.

"Sheele! You have to leave now!" Ben yelled. Despite his condition and the pain, he used his useable arm to push his body up. "I...I can handle this! Just go! You can't fight them alone!"

"Who said anything about being alone?" Sheele questioned rhetorically.

Another flash of light happened, and it happened very close to Izou. The swordsman was taken aback when Eunice suddenly appeared next to him and grabbed the blade of his sword. Their eyes made contact before she jumped back and huffed.

' _What? That thing wasn't a Teigu?'_ Eunice thought. _'I figured that if the others are using a Teigu, then someone like him would be using one too. But It's just an ordinary sword.'_

"I remember you." Shura said suddenly. "You're the girl that showed up with the boy after I whisked him away. I was wondering where you were."

"So she's the one you mentioned." Izou said and smirked. "I heard you're able to absorb the ability of any Teigu you touch. Guess that explains why you touched my sword. If you want to feel its blade properly, then I'll be more than happy to give you that joy."

Eunice tensed and balled her fist. Without a power of any Teigu user, she knew the battle would be a lot difficult. That's why she assumed she could absorb what she thought was a strong Teigu like Akame's Murasame.

A battle between her and Izou would've commenced if not for a small person walking over to them. Her name was Dorothea, and she was very intrigued by Eunice's ability.

"Leave her to me." She simply said.

Everyone's eyes went on the seemingly small girl. She had no particular face expression, nor did she seem to make any effort for it. It was only when she came to a stop close to Izou that her lips shaped to a small smile, and she caught Eunice off guard.

Despite her small size, her speed was on a whole new level. By the time Eunice noticed her again, she was in the air with her fist approaching her face. Eunice barely had the chance to block her punch with her fist, however even that didn't contain the punch. She was sent skidding back before coming to a stop.

' _Such power...For a little girl, she's strong. If I can get a hold of her Teigu, then maybe I can get Ben out of here.'_ She thought.

"Hmph..." She said with that smile.

She knew what Eunice was thinking. If she wanted to get a hold of her Teigu, then she'll be more than glad to let her feel some of it. Of course, the thought made her want to lick her fangs, which unbeknownst to Eunice was the Teigu.

Again, the girl made another leap at her. Eunice responded by jumping straight up to avoid her. Once Dorothea was below her, she came right down for her, feet first, and missed. The little girl was able to move out of the way.

"Interesting." Dorothea said and stood straight. "Despite looking human, you were able to jump quite high to dodge me. But that isn't what intrigues me the most."

"Really?" Eunice asked, though it sounded rhteroical.

"No, it's your nature." Dorothea answered. "You move and act like a human, and yet I feel vibes that it isn't really true. Are you an Organic Teigu? If so, I'll make sure I study you thoroughly for my research."

"Good luck with that." Eunice quickly moved to a fighting stance.

"There is no need for luck."

Dorothea went ahead to pull out two guns. Before any word could be said, she began firing bullets straight at Eunice at a fast rate. Eunice began to dodge them to the best of her capability and escaped with a few scratches when they scrapped her skin.

Eunice was so busy with the bullets that she was unprepared for what happened next. Sheele and Ben saw it coming, but before their voices could reach her, it was too late. Dorothea used that distraction to jump over to Eunice and bite her neck.

"AAHH!" Eunice yelped.

' _Her blood is...tasty...even stronger than anyone I have faced. Hmm? What's this?'_ Due to her position, she noticed a strange panel behind Eunice's neck.

"Let...go of me." Eunice said, unable to move.

Dorothea chose to ignore her. She was intrigued by the thing she was seeing. She went ahead to tap on a green button, which caused Eunice's body to be engulfed by green light and shrink. At the same time, Dorothea landed on the ground with her feet and saw a green striped and black container fall to the ground. It was the core of the Unitrix, aka Eunice's real body.

"Oh? Looks like I stumbled across something very interesting." Dorothea said, and picked up the Unitrix. "So she really was a Teigu, but that begs the question. Where is her master?"

"You leave her alone!" Ben yelled at her.

Dorothea ignored him and put the core in a unspecified part of her body. "I guess I'll just have to take my time to study this." She said.

"Eunice!" Ben cried out.

Sheele took a step as a move to attack Dorothea. However, Shura and the others moved as well, which made her remember that she was in a difficult spot herself. Meanwhile, Ben struggled back to his feet, and was about to try and use the Ultimatrix, when Enshin spoke up.

"Just give up already. Do you really think you can beat us?" Enshin said with a wide grin. "Now I might be a nice guy and give you guys a chance. Your name is Sheele, right? How about you undress yourself for us. I might be kind enough to let your friend over there survive or the very least not cause him much pain."

"Don't do it, Sheele!" Ben stated. "I can just –"

"Stay back, Ben." Sheele interjected and accidently hit his head with her Teigu. He hit the ground dazed. "Um…sorry. I'll be quick with this. I promise." With that, she turned over to Shura. "You're their leader. If I do what he said, will you let him go?"

"We'll see." Shura smiled mischievously.

"I see…But there's just one problem you have there." She said. "My life no longer belongs to me, but to the one he sacrificed his own life so I may live. That is why…" Her eyes suddenly lightened up with her purple color, and she exclaimed. "I cannot let myself die here!"

Shura chuckled, with the same for Enshin. Their tone changed when Sheele made an incredible speed towards Dorothea while clutching her weapon. She would've gotten to the girl too if it weren't for Izou intervening.

He and Sheele clashed weapons with a lot of brute force. The shockwave that was created from such a scene was so strong that the earth underneath them broke apart. Shura and the others had to block the strong wind that hit them with their hands.

"You're pretty strong!" Izou shouted excitedly. "The fact that you carry such a huge weapon and stand against me. You're certainly not one to look down on."

Sheele snuffed at him and drew her weapon back. The same was for Izou before the both of them began to strike at each other with their own weapon. It was Extase against Kousetsu, and their respective owners trying to outwit the other.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Sheele was the one losing. Once in a while, Izou's Kousetsu was able to land cut after cut on her dress and skin, leaving tears as a result while she barely blocked his other slashes.

" _No, I can't lose here, not when Ieyasu…"_ Sheele's mind flashed back to the smiling spiky haired boy. _"Not when I'm yet to repay my life for him by beating her."_ This time she remembered the girl and the dog that killed him. _"Seryu!"_

A boost of willpower pushed her forward and before anyone knew it, she let out a battle cry and broke Kousetsu into two right below the middle.

"What?!" Shura was shocked.

"Kousetsu!" Izou cried out.

"Out of my way!" Sheele yelled and punched the now unarmed and still shocked swordsman in the face.

The blunt of her fist came just as strong as the new strength she mustered. It sent the man flying away and gave her the chance to proceed over to Dorothea. She needed to get back Eunice before it was too late.

"Not so fast!" Enshin shouted from above.

Sheele looked up and quickly jumped back. Enshin's wind slash hit the ground she had stood on and another one followed after that. Fortunately, the purple-haired girl was able to leap back from that one before seeing the psychopathically perverted man land in front of her.

"Just when I thought we could get to the good part, you just had to rebel. Well…it's like I'm against. Watching girls crumble from their own confidence makes the sex all the more swee." Enshin said with his twisted mind. "I guess I'll just have to finish off where Izou left off by shredding every part of that dress for you!"

With that, he chuckled and slashed at the air twice to send two sharp air attacks at her. Sheele was unfazed by it, to the point that she seriously cut them into none existence with her Teigu. She then saw an opening and charged straight at the young man.

"Not so fast! There's more where that came from!" Enshin stated and sent more air slashes at her. "It's the full moon, girl! If you think that's something, then behold **Full Moon Wheel!** "

Sheele was unimpressed. The same serious look on her face remained, even as countless amount of air came her way while destroying the surface of the ground as they did so. Sheele opened her scissors and leapt at the air blades and cut them constantly like she was weeding out a garden.

" _N-Nani?!"_ Enshin was shocked. _"How can she be cutting them down like that!?"_

Dorothea was pleased with what she was seeing, and smirked. _"So that's the_ ** _Cutter of Creation_** **:** ** _Extase._** _A Teigu capable of cutting through any material including the most impervious of armors. I never would've thought it could cut something elemental. This Teigu might turn out to be very interesting to study."_

Now Enshin was feeling scared. He found that no matter how much he sent at Sheele, she would simply cut it into none existence with her Teigu. The look in his eyes was real and when the gap between them closed, he made a failed attempt to jump back. Sheele followed him and opened her scissors to cut him in half.

" _She's too close! Those eyes…they look soulless!"_

It was almost over for Enshin if not for one person coming to his rescue. Sheele was unable to defend herself when a lightning ball hit her, causing volts of electricity to run through her body. The blunt of it was able to send her flying and screaming until she hit the ground.

Enshin landed on the ground with his feet and sighed in relief. His action only amused Champ who stepped over to him with a jolly-like smile.

"Looks like she gave you quite the hard time." He said.

Enshin simply snarled and looked away. Meanwhile, the others watched as Sheele steadily stood up with burnt marks on her and her dress partially burnt.

"So you were able to survive that." Champ asked amusedly. He went into his pitcher stand and tossed another ball at Sheele. "Then how about you try this one? I'm sure you'll get a breeze out of it!"

It was too late. The ball made contact with the ground and engulfed Sheele in a whirlwind. It seemed the end for the purple-haired girl if not that the natural disaster suddenly dispersed when a snap was heard. "My whirlwind…it was cut?" Champ was surprised.

There stood a crater that was caused by that whirlwind. As for the one who stood on it, it was Sheele as she stood with her dress badly torn and more cuts on her as more of her body was exposed. Extase had saved her on time and now she was ready to fight back.

Despite the pain coursing through her body, she made a mad dash straight for Champ, who could only grin before tossing yet another ball like before. Sheele saw it coming and made a leap at it.

She could see from the flaming body of the thing that it would produce fire. If she wasn't careful, it's likely she won't be able to survive an attack like that. So it was a good thing that she swung the flat side of Extase at the weapon and sent it back at Champ.

"Champie, look out!" Cosmina shouted.

Champ responded by tossing an ice ball at the incoming attack. Both balls made contact and nullified each other instantly. But then he was shocked to find Sheele just a few feet from his face with her weapon held by both hands.

"Champie! I'll save you!" Cosmina shouted.

She ran over to them with her microphone-type Teigu in her hand. Before Sheele could reach Champ, she let out an ultrasound wave straight at her at its minimum volume. Sheele saw this as a problem and released one hand from her weapon to grab Champ's shirt. With it, she was able to pull him over to cover her and make him her shield when the wave came towards her.

"AAAHHHHHH!" Champ cried out.

"I'm sorry!" Cosmina shouted.

The wave was at its minimum, so it didn't kill the clown. However, it was enough to cause the clown to fall on his knees and sent his whole body to the ground unconscious. It was only afterwards that Sheele's absence was noticed.

"Where is she?!" Shura asked. He was getting frustrated at the fact that one girl was able to take on his men. Izou was useless without his weapon, to the point that he could be seen seating motionlessly as his face remained over the destruction of his weapon.

Meanwhile, Cosmina noticed a shadow underneath her and looked up. She was able to jump back when Sheele stomped down at where she was stood. That didn't stop the purple-haired girl from chasing after her.

From the distance between the two of them, it was obvious that Cosmina had no chance to escape on her own. The deadly look on Sheele's face and the terrified face that was Cosmina were unmatched. It was fortunate for her that Enshin showed up from behind the purple-haired ex-assassin to kill her.

"Got you now!" He shouted cockily.

Sheele briefly moved her eyes to see him. Enshin's Teigu would be able to cut her easily from the close distance between them. Added to that, Cosmina saw it as her chance to use her Teigu to deal with the girl.

Between two enemies, she won't be able to take down one without taking the attack of the other. It even seemed like the end for Sheele, however she still had her trump card.

" **EXTASE!"** She cried out.

Her Teigu suddenly unleashed a bright white light that blinded her enemies. Even those standing from the distance like Izou and Shura were affected, and had to close their eyes. Meanwhile, Enshin screamed from his eyes receiving the full brightness of the Teigu, before receiving what was truly unexpected.

Sheele did a spin and cut him in two with her Teigu. His body was divided instantly before his brain expressed the only emotion he could make when he saw his bottom half hit the ground.

"You…bitch." He managed to say.

His body hit the ground and blood began to spill out. As for Cosmina, Sheele hit her with the blunt side of her Teigu, thus sending her flying a few meters away. The last that could be heard from the girl was her scream as her body flew into the woods.

With both threats gone, Sheele deactivated her Teigu's trump card and sighed in relief. Fighting in the way she was doing was taking a toll on her. Unfortunately, it was that moment that Dorothea needed to attack Sheele, just when she was at her weakest.

She closed the leap between them with her teeth open to bite down on Sheele. She would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for one thing. Sheele was quick to raise her weapon and allow the little girl to bite down on the blade instead.

"Shit _! She was able to move even after that?!"_ Dorothea thought with surprise.

She quickly got away from Extase and landed on the ground. However, she couldn't move again when Sheele brought the tip of her weapon at her neck, ready to kill her. The thought of death scared Dorothea and she pleaded for her life.

"Wait! Wait! Waiiitt!" She shouted. "You just want your friend back, right?!" She asked and pulled out the Unitrix from under her dress. "Here, you can have it! Just don't kill me! It'd be a great loss to humanity!"

Sheele had no idea what the last part meant and frankly didn't care. She simply used her free hand to take the Unitrix back from Dorothea and punched her in the face. The little girl cried out in pain and fell on her back.

"Shit! What the hell was that for?!"

Sheele ignored her and smiled at her friend in her hand. "Sorry for taking so long."

Dorothea was pissed, with the same going for Shura. The former went ahead to pull at a wand and cut her wrist to paint the thing with her blood, before drawing a symbol on the ground. Sheele noticed it and made her move to stop her, but it was too late.

Dorothea laughed madly when she placed the wand on the symbol and massive amounts of black miasma formed from the thing. Sheele jumped back from the possible danger, and watched what manifested. The miasma shaped into a massive beast with many eyes and mouths. It was unlike any Danger Beast she had seen before.

"Did you really think it was over?! It has only begun! Now be prepared as I get rid of your very existence, once and for all!"

Sheele's face changed to a weak snarl. She wasn't sure she could keep fighting, not with everything she had to endure. If it was her former self, she would've died long before, and yet here she was still standing.

However, even she knew that she won't last for long. Maybe Eunice could help, but it wasn't like the young woman knew how to bring her back. Besides, Dorothea's monster gave her no chance to rest when it attacked.

Multiple black poisons shot out from its body and headed straight for Sheele. The young woman responded by pulling Eunice behind her before using her other hand which was on Extase to defend herself.

The defense was intense, and a failure. No matter how much she cut attacks, many more came to replace them. Before she knew it, some of them struck into her skin, causing her to scream from the pain, and yet keep fighting. The poison was beginning to weak her, and she could feel it.

"Keep fighting, Night Raid filth! It'll only be a matter of time before you can't fighting anymore! But don't worry, I'll be sure to salvage a bit of you and study! This stamina you have is worth the research!"

Sheele gritted her teeth. Blood was already creeping her mouth as she kept exhausting herself. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't going to make it through this battle.

" _I have only one last choice. I…have to use my trump card, even if It's just for the last time."_ With that decided, she struck back against the poisonous shots coming for her, and raised her weapon up. "EX-"

"Not this time!" Shura exclaimed and reappeared before her. With his knife in his possession, he then proceeded to stab Sheele in the back.

Sheele was taken aback and lost all consciousness. She hit the ground hard with the knife still stuck in her back before the owner pulled it out.

"I guess that's that." Shura huffed and looked around. "I'm kind of disappointed with almost everyone here. Even Izou was defeated by her."

Dorothea had nothing to say. She went over to Sheele's bleeding body and smiled slyly. She could already picture the experiments she could have on the young woman's body. As for the Unitrix, she was about to pick it up, but a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Sheele…" Ben awakened, and tried to get up. His eyes wondered around the battlefield, shocked at what had happened, before settling at the figure that was Sheele. "Oh no! Sheele! Wake up _!_ Sheele _!_ "

Shura laughed and stretched his arms apart. "Now do you see what happens when you cross me, boy?! And this is just the beginning! I'll have your friend in the cave dealt with in the same manner, and let you watch as I rape!"

"Y…YOU BASTARD!" Ben yelled with pure hatred in his eyes. Unknown to him, the Ultimatrix's faceplate lightened up brighter than usual.

Shura kept on laughing. His voice could be heard throughout the woods at a certain radius. To see Ben's angry face was pure amusement for him. He couldn't wait to get on with torturing Ben.

But then the most unexpected thing happened suddenly. The cave exploded entirely in such a way that rocks were sent flying. It cut off Shura's laughter, before they all watched as bright colorful light went up the sky.

"What the hell is that?!" Shura questioned.

He never got his answer. The next thing any of them saw was a long handle axe flying out of the bright light and flying straight for Dorothea. The girl was in possession of the Unitrix, when she saw the axe coming for her and screamed.

Her monster responded by getting in front of her and shooting its poisons. Surprisingly, none of them had an effect on the weapon. The axe easily cut through the attacks and went straight for the monster, which it proceeded to cut into pieces. Dorothea was in shock as her monster was helpless and heard as it screamed until it turned into dust.

The axe then went back to the bright light and was grabbed by a hand. The bright light covering what remained of the cave died down. Now Spear stood before the view of everyone, dressed in an Asgardian uniform with the helmet covering her eyes in such a way that it made her eyes look entirely purple. Along with that, her red cape and hair flapped blissfully to the night's wind.

"You...I remember you." Spear said with a cold tone. "You're Shura, son of the Prime Minister Honest. You dare to humiliate my master and harm my friends!"

"Yes, I did! What are you going to do?! Last I checked, your dad is dead! At least I have a father to look forward too!" Shura said confidently.

"Who do you think is the reason I don't have one anymore?!"

The skies suddenly began to darken with clouds. The wind began to pick up and lightning shot through the clouds. Spear's anger could be sensed through it all, before she leapt forward and swung her weapon straight at Shura.

The Prime Minister's son quickly teleported. His action saved him, but it left Dorothea vulnerable to the axe when it came straight for her. The girl panicked and pushed her hand forward. The remainder of her monster formed from the air in the form of a mouth, which opened to take in the axe.

Of course, the defense failed as it took the blunt of the hit. Dorothea then felt the top side of the weapon and was sent flying back. At the same time, the Unitrix was released before hitting the ground.

Back with Spear, she was about to call back her weapon, when Shura showed up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, restraining her arms and said. "You're coming with me!"

Spear had no way to obstruct. He teleported both of them away, which just left Ben and everyone else left. Dorothea was on the ground, clutching her chest as she felt her own blood flooding her legs. She steadily picked herself up and went to the woods. She needed something to feast on, but first she needed to be safe.

Spear's weapon suddenly shot off to an unknown destination. Now it was just Ben and Izou who were conscious. He was worried about Spear until he noticed Champ moving. The fat clown woke up with a groan and sat up just to see what had happened. He saw that apart from Ben and Izou, the others were either missing or dead. His eyes then landed on Sheele and he became angry.

The clown took his time to stand up and head over to the woman. Whether she was dead or barely didn't concern him. He was going to make sure that anything that remained of her would be dealt with harshly.

"You stay away from her!" Ben shouted from his position. "I-I'm warning you! Stay away from Sheele!"

Champ stopped and turned his head to him. He smiled creepily at him and saw the fearful effect it had on teen. "I know you won't do anything. You're scared of me, aren't you? Now stay back and watch. I'm going to make sure she goes straight to hell."

Ben kept pushing himself back to his feet. However, since it was just one arm he was using, it trembled due to the feeling coursing through him and made him fall back to the ground with a groan.

" _Why…? Why can't I get up…?"_ He questioned as he gritted his teeth. He then noticed his hand trembling and glanced at Champ approaching Sheele. _"Am I…scared? Come on, this is just stupid! My friend is about to die and I'm letting myself be scared by an old phobia!"_

His mind then flashback to the time he encountered Zombozo as a kid and fixed his fear. It should've been fine at the time. He even faced Zombozo when he was a teenager and beat him without feeling this fear of clowns. But for some reason, the phobia returned sometime before the evil clown returned.

" _Dammit! You've got to be fucking kidding me?!"_ Ben angrily shouted in his head. _"I'm Ben Tennyson, the guy who saved his universe countless times ever since he was ten years old! I've faced self-proclaimed gods, creatures from different dimensions, fought alongside other heroes and took on even alien warlords! So I can't…"_ He gritted his teeth and turned his trembling hand into a firm fist. _"I can't let things end here!"_

" **ALL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED!"** The Ultimatrix spoke.

"What?" Ben questioned and looked at the arm that lay inappropriately. It was his dislocated arm, and he could see the Ultimatrix shining bright.

" **ALL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED! DO YOU WISH TO UNLOCK NEW FEATURE?!"** The A.I asked.

Ben stared at the Ultimatrix confused. He then snapped out of it and answered. "Yes, do it!"

With that, the Ultimatrix let out a strange sound and engulfed Ben in a flash of green it. The energy pouring from it was so strong that it shined all over the area in an instant. Champ blocked his face just to avoid having his eyes blinded by it.

" **Hey, clown! Get a load of this!"**

"Huh?" Champ said and received a green punch to the face.

Whampire sent him flying with just that punch. Champ responded by landing on his feet, and even letting it skid back before coming to a stop. Though he survived that punch, the size of the alien's fist remained on his cheek, and it pissed the clown much.

He got into his pitcher's stance and threw one of the balls floating around him. Whampire didn't know what it was, and frankly didn't care. He was engulfed in another flash of green light without touching the Ultimatrix. When it died down, he was Perk Upchuck which he used to leap at the ball and eat it before spitting back at Champ as a green explosive ball.

Champ was hit in an instant and sent flying. His body tumbled a few times before coming to a stop. He let out a groan and steadily stood up and revealed what became of him. He was covered in bruises, with his costume partly destroyed as he coughed up blood.

Ben wasn't done with him though. He changed into Cannonbolt without touching the Ultimatrix symbol, before ramming at the clown and sending him flying inside the woods. Champ's body didn't even get the chance to touch the floor because there was another flash of green light which brought about yet another alien.

Swampfire raised hands up and made tree roots to come out and restrain Champ. The fat clown was even wrapped by the roots until it was only his eyes that could see outside of it. Swampfire wanted it that way before changing back to Ben without touching the Ultimatrix symbol.

"Let me go!" Champ protested, though it almost sounded muffled.

Ben said nothing about that. He took a few steps forward and crossed his arms over his chest. There was something about seeing his worst fear tied up in heaps of tree roots.

"You were right. I was afraid of you, but…it was really just because you look like a clown." Ben said strongly. "I know it sounds really stupid. This kid with a powerful device is afraid of clowns? I sometimes found it really ridiculous myself. But not anymore, I won't let my fears hold me back like it did recently, especially not because of people like you."

With that said Ben turned his back at him and waved his hand. "Oh, and you might need to stay there for a while. I'm sure your friends will come and break you out soon enough."

Champ could only stare at the hero with eyes of hatred. The way he was defeated was humiliating and to make it worse was that it from a boy who wasn't at the age of kids he was interested in. Champ knew that when he gets out of here, he'll want to face the teenager again. Now he understood the kind of hatred Shura had for Ben Tennsyon.

* * *

Ben was running straight for Sheele, whom he remembered was in a bad position. Was she dead? Was she on her way there? Was he too late to save her? These were questions on his mind as he ran over to her. His mind was so worried that he didn't even think of using the Ultimatrix to rush over to her.

None of that mattered because he approached her anyway. He went on his knees and pressed his fingers at her neck to check her pulse. She was alive, but the pulse was becoming weak. He needed to get her some help, so he quickly raised his hand to the Ultimatrix, forgetting that he no longer needed to do that to transform.

"Ben…" He heard a weak voice.

The teen hero looked down and saw the purple-haired girl staring at him. She smiled weakly at him, which brought Ben's concern to her.

"You relax over there, Sheele. I'll get us back to the airship and Eunice can…Oh no Eunice!" He looked around the area and saw the Unitrix a few meters away.

Ben would've gotten up to retrieve it if not for Sheele. She grabbed his wrist before he could stand up, and got his attention when she spoke up.

"I think It's too late for that, Ben…I…the poison really hurts." She said.

"Don't…Don't say that, Sheele!" Ben said to her, pleading with his voice. "Y-You just have to hang in there! We can save you!"

Sheele's smile grew a bit. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. Even though that loose in my head was fixed, I…ended up hurting you. Please forgive me."

"Sheele, now's not the time." Ben was beginning to cry. "Just…Don't go. Ieyasu wouldn't have wanted this for you. No one in Night Raid would've!"

"I know, but…at least I sacrificed my life for you." With that, she weakly raised her free hand to the night sky and smiled at the stars. "The sky looks so pretty, Ben. Please…remember to keep aiming higher and…save this world. Good…Goodbye."

With that said, she closed her eyes and peacefully allowed its weight to move to the side. Ben tried shaking Sheele, but she refused to respond. His heart tightened upon a thought dawning on him, and with her body in his arms, he cried out her name.

"SHEELE! NOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Onboard to the airship, Ben was standing in an unspecified part of the ship while staring at a green hologram map in front of him. It was a perfect diagram of the Imperial Castle, with red dots marked on certain places such as the prison cell.

"Ben…" Eunice called upon entering the place.

The teen hero turned his head to her and said. "Oh, you're back. How's she doing?"

"Sheele is responding very well. It's a good her body was resilient to the poison until I could treat her. I'm glad to see the treatment I gave her back at Night Raid's hideout improved her strength and stamina."

"Yeah, what's with that anyway?" Ben asked. "Sheele was able to fight those guys on her own. I thought you were just going to help with her spinal cord since it caused her legs to be paralyzed."

"Yes, but it appears that the effects were worked better than I and probably Azmuth would've thought." Eunice said, and stood next to him. "Remember, it's not just our world's realities that differ from this world. Their bodies functions slightly different than ours."

"I see." Ben replied and smirked. "Let's go meet them."

Eunice nodded and watched Ben walk past her. A few minutes later, they arrived at the lounge of the airship and saw Spear and Sheele seating there watching the TV there. No doubt seeing such moving pictures amazed them.

Their interest changed when Ben and Eunice walked in. They ignored the show on the TV and stood straight to see the teenager. In response, Ben smiled and said. "Glad you two are getting comfortable with the place. Last night was really rough."

"Indeed it was." Spear said in her normal clothes. "I was able to send that son of a disgusting man away easily. It'd appear that he ran away before I could find him though."

"Good to know. At least he won't be bothering us for a while." Ben said and turned over to Sheele. "What about you? Feeling better?"

"Um, yes." Sheele looked away embarrassingly. "I'm sorry for making you worried like that. I was just so glad that I was useful to you that – "

"I could tell." Ben interrupted and scratched his face. He recalled what happened last night. "You gave me quite the scare. Good thing I was able to bring back Eunice so she could treat your body before it was too late. Anyway, that's all in the past. You shouldn't feel like you're not useful to us, Sheele. We're the Emerald Heroes, and we're meant to fight alongside each other."

"I understand." Sheele replied and smile. "Thank you for having me."

"Wait, the Emerald Heroes?" Spear asked.

"Yes, you like it?" Ben asked. "I thought we needed a cool team name. We're going to make a lot of impact to this world, so it's important the people know that while there's Night Raid and the Jaegers, there's us, the Emerald Heroes that will bring about a new and better change to this world."

Spear smirked. "A wise name, Master. I will serve as a member as long as I am needed."

"Great!" Ben pumped his fist in the air. "Now, next course to the Imperial Castle! Time to get Aria out of there!"

"Aye, sir!" Eunice, Spear and Sheele shouted in unison with their fists pumped in the air too.

-Chapter end-

 **Another chapter done! Wow! That was a lot to type! I told you at the beginning that it would be a long one! Anyway, I'm glad to have the whole thing covered before moving to the battle that will occur in the Imperial Castle.**

 **Now for those of you that may have forgotten, Eunice was involved in treating Sheele's injury at the time. It's because of the method she used that enhanced Sheele in the way that she was. That's why even she thought that if it was her former self, she'd likely be dead in a fight like that.**

 **By the way, you guys thought that Sheele was dead, didn't you? Well surprise, she's still alive! I was going to add another scene to explain what has become of the Wild Hunt until I realized that the chapter was already as long as it needed. In the next chapter, hopefully, we'll find out what became of them and who sent them that message in the previous chapter.**

 **So before anyone feels smart to point out one thing, I should just say that I'm aware that Dorothea isn't actually a little girl. How else was I able to include her battle so well? lol.**

 **There was a few questions that a guest reviewer brought up in one of the previous chapters. I forgot to bring it up, so here they are.**

Does Tatsumi, Leone and Akame have Anodite powers?

 **Answer;** Yes, but not in the way you might think. The Anodite power only enhances their bodies and Teigu whenever they meet someone with Sunny's Anodite signature or Sunny herself. They cannot activate it at their own will.

Is Tatsumi still going to enter and win the tournament?

 **Answer;** No. We're already at the part where the tournament should've taken place. If you read or watch the manga or anime respectively, you'll know the tournament was done to find someone who would wield Extase. But since Sheele is alive and has the Teigu with her, the tournament can't take place.

 **Question;** Can you stop the Wild Hunt from committing most of their atrocious acts? Even if not all, can they at least leave Bols's wife and daughter alone?

 **Answer;** I can stop some of the things they'll do in the manga. Yes, the Wild Hunt will be back like in the manga. Also, about what they did to Bols's family, I'll see about at least having someone intervene. I don't want to spoil what happens.

 **Well I think that's most of what I have to say. I just want to mention that I've written a Special Story for this fanfiction. It takes place some chapters after this current chapter. The beginning is gruesome, but I promise you that rest is pretty enjoyable.**

 **Also, for those who have read that Special Story, I should mention that I changed one thing that everyone probably noticed. I brought in Storm Breaker instead of Mjolnir like it was mentioned in the previous chapter. This is because of when I read a person's review. Since Spear is more familiar with sharp weapons, I decided that her mystical weapon would resemble Storm Breaker. Don't worry. Everything about it would be explained in upcoming chapters, so look forward to them.**

 **Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter. Hope to see you guys again. Please review this chapter to let me know your thoughts. Bye.**


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